Understand the various ways to implement the active offer of French-language health services.
To demonstrate commitment to French-language health services and fully respect language rights, health professionals must develop specific skills and demonstrate concrete behaviours.
This law, which is part of the Constitution of Canada, sets out the rights and freedoms of Canadians. It recognizes the equality of French and English. Language rights apply to both the federal government and the provincial government of New Brunswick.
See the Guide to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms for more details.
On June 20, 2023, Royal Assent was granted to Bill C-13, An Act for the Substantive Equality of Canada’s Official Languages, which amends the Official Languages Act (OLA).
The modernized OLA continues to recognize French and English as the country’s two official languages and guarantees the right to receive government services in the official language of one’s choice in designated regions. In addition, this law acknowledges the distinct realities of all provinces and territories, as well as the minority status of the French language in North America.
The Criminal Code guarantees the right of an accused person to have a criminal trial in the official language of their choice (French or English) or in the language that allows them to testify most effectively. This ensures that a person charged can make a full answer and defence. The language rights set out in the Criminal Code apply across Canada.
Although French is one of Canada’s two official languages, Francophones do not have the same rights and may not have access to the same services in all provinces and territories.
Provinces are responsible for delivering health care to the majority of Canadians. Provinces and territories oversee the direct delivery of most medical services and operate under their own policies, laws and regulations concerning health care.
Feedback
The correct answers are:
b) Providing magazines in French and English in the waiting room.
d) Clearly displaying the availability of French-language services on virtual health service portals.
Greeting must be done in both official languages. Health care facilities should display magazines, videos and posters in both official languages in their waiting rooms.
On virtual health service portals, identifying the services that are available in French is often difficult. Having a language selector that links to French pages does not necessarily mean that services can be provided in that language.
The correct answer is:
d) All of the above
Active offer must be present throughout the entire continuum of care.
