Canada to improve access to English-language health services in Quebec
Posted October 15, 2025 11:16 am.
The government of Canada announced on Tuesday that more than $52 million in funding over five years will be provided to the Community Health and Social Services Network (CHSSN) and McGill University to improve access to health and social services professionals for Anglophone communities in Quebec.
These investments aim is to support innovative projects to improve health services in English in Quebec through the Official Languages Health Program (OLHP).
“Canada’s official languages are more than just a means of communication: they are an integral part of our identity,” said Peter Schiefke, Member of Parliament for Vaudreuil who was in Montreal today to make the announcement.
“By supporting initiatives that improve access to health services in the individual’s chosen official language, we are helping to build a more inclusive and equitable health system,” he added.
“Dialogue McGill’s mandate is to increase the capacity of bilingual health and psychosocial professionals in Quebec’s public system,” said Jacqueline Vachon, Associate Director, Dialogue McGill.
“Thanks to the federal government’s investment, Dialogue McGill’s programs continue to meet the evolving needs of Quebec’s health care and social services sectors,” she added.
Dialogue McGill provides free English and French language courses to public health institutions, scholarships to retain qualified professionals in the province.
They also fund research on official minority languages to improve access to public health and social services.
“This significant investment has a real impact on interactions between professionals and patients in Quebec,” said Vachon.
Health Canada explained that initiatives from the OLHP include “increasing access to care through community health networks, providing language training for health and social services professionals, intake staff and students, as well as improving recruitment and retention of bilingual health professionals.”
The Government of Canada will continue working with partners to improve access to health care services for everyone, they added. This includes services in the official language of ones choice.
“Our two official languages are at the heart of our identity; they unite us from coast to coast to coast and make us better together,” said Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages.
“As a government, we are taking concrete steps to ensure that all Canadians, no matter where they live, can access health services in the official language of their choice,” he added. “I am pleased that this funding is supporting projects that strengthen our bilingual identity, not only in Quebec, but across Canada.”
