Author: François Gallant, Lise Babin, James Ted McDonald
Year: 2025
Category:
Health Publications
Many people feel more comfortable receiving healthcare in the official language they prefer, whether English or French. In New Brunswick, Canada’s only officially bilingual province, it is important to understand whether residents can access care in the language they choose.
This study used survey data from the New Brunswick Health Council (collected in 2021 and 2023) to look at citizen-reported access to healthcare in a preferred official language. Nearly all respondents said they could access a primary care provider in their preferred language. However, French-preferring citizens reported more difficulty accessing other services – such as from pharmacies, specialists, and telehealth – in French.
These findings show that while access to primary care providers is generally strong, language-related gaps remain in other parts of primary care.
