Ottawa, November 5, 2009
Notes for an address at the Science Colloquium on the Health of Official Language
Minority Communities organized by Health Canada
Graham Fraser – Commissioner of Official Languages
Check against delivery
Good afternoon,
I am pleased to be with you today to discuss the issue of research on health in official language minority communities.
We are currently facing a unique situation due to the H1N1 flu. This reminds us how important it is for Canadians to receive respectful and timely health services. Crisis situations such as this often exacerbate existing challenges.
Gatherings like today’s colloquium continue to be essential because they bring together key players from various fields and levels to discuss best practices and common challenges.
I feel that, in organizing this event, Health Canada has demonstrated the institution's leadership. Furthermore, the government's commitment to the health situation in our minority-language communities is supported by the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality.
Of course, for our communities to receive services in their official language, funding alone is not the answer. The work you do as researchers is vital in order to identify the real current and future needs of these communities. Your research must also be recognized as a tool by federal institutions in developing policies and programs.
In fact, recognizing and supporting research on these minority-language communities fits in with Part VII of the Official Languages Act, which aims to enhance the vitality and support the development of these communities.
At this time, the data we have on Francophone communities outside Quebec is limited. In Quebec, the provincial government has recognized the importance of gathering data on its English-speaking communities and has made an effort in this regard. But in Quebec, as is the case elsewhere in Canada, there is still a ways to go. Nevertheless, Francophone communities outside Quebec and English-speaking communities in Quebec need to draw on each other's experience in view of the issues they both face.
I want to point out that data collection cannot be completed without the participation of, and funding for, researchers like you.
The post-censal survey conducted after the 2006 survey revealed striking data:
Among Francophones outside of Quebec:
- Six out of 10 people surveyed received services from a family physician in English;
- Service from nurses was received in English in 54% of cases;
- In other locations, such as hospitals, clinics and health centres, services in French were provided only 33% of the time.
Among English-speaking Quebecers:
- The family physician provided services in English 72% of the time;
- The nurse provided service in English 52% of the time;
- And in other locations, the services were provided in English only 51% of the time.
While members of English-speaking minority communities in Quebec more often than not receive services in their language, in my opinion, as a whole, this data continues to be alarming and demonstrates the need for the federal government to take action—and the need for these communities to mobilize themselves. With access to this data, we can better raise awareness among key players and meet immediate and long-term needs more effectively.
In the coming months and years, research on official language minority communities must receive more balanced funding.
In order to address the shortage of researchers interested in the issues of these communities, research funding agencies will also have to make sufficient investments in research projects at French-language universities.
To do so, I encourage you to strengthen your existing partnerships with post‑secondary institutions, researchers and funding agencies involved in research on official languages, communities and federal institutions.
In order to expand the research community and ensure its growth, a collaborative approach is also a key component. We need to get rid of the “silo” mentality. This type of collaboration could mean greater financial support, the creation of a research team, networking opportunities with other researchers, but above all, a greater number of quality research projects.
For its part, the Office of the Commissioner supports your research and is studying issues that have not been addressed by others. For example, in the past few years, we have been working very closely with Anglophone and Francophone minority communities in different parts of the country to evaluate their vitality and provide them with tools to enable them to take the necessary measures to improve their situation.
To date, we have published studies on the vitality of Francophone communities in Halifax, Winnipeg and Sudbury, as well as English-speaking communities in Québec City, the Eastern Townships and the Lower North Shore. Next year, we will be releasing a third study that looks at Francophone communities in Vancouver, Calgary and Bellevue, Saskatchewan.
It goes without saying that research is a key step in the process, but the findings must be shared to achieve concrete results. To share knowledge, research findings need to be explained in plain language to ensure that community members and public service decision-makers alike can access and use these findings.
I have some concerns regarding the number of young researchers who are interested in our minority communities. Similarly, I am concerned about the fact that there are very few learning opportunities in our post-secondary institutions for young people from these communities who want to continue their education in their own language. In order to keep them in our minority communities, they need to be able to continue their studies in their language. This would go a long way toward encouraging them to stay or return to their community to apply the skills they have learned.
As an example of a best practice, I would like to commend the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for organizing their 2008 Summer Institute, which was a resounding success. The goal of this institute was to provide young researchers with useful information on minority community health research, as well as training on how to transfer and apply their knowledge of minority community health and vitality.
If the participation rate and enthusiasm for the Summer Institute are any indication, the next generation of researchers is clearly interested in this issue. It is therefore important to keep offering these kinds of training opportunities to continue encouraging and attracting these researchers and supporting them in their careers.
Conclusion
In summary, we need to work together to gather health data in our minority communities and share it with federal organizations and institutions to ensure that this data has a real impact on the country’s policies and practices.
We will also need to consider a new factor in our research on these communities, that is, cultural diversity, which will have an increasing impact on the data and health care needs.
For example, due to the new definition of Francophone in Ontario, the demand for French services is increasing in the province. This demonstrates just how much demographics and knowledge of actual needs can positively affect community vitality. At this point, we need to review our criteria (something that should be done through research) to ensure that all Francophones, regardless of their background, are counted and that their particular needs are properly met.
To reach all members of our constantly evolving communities, it is all the more important to ensure that our efforts strengthen our ability to communicate.
Canada’s official languages are one of the core values that are part of our national identity. And all Canadians should have access to health services of comparable quality in the official language of their choice.
