Government of Canada Supports Initiative to Provide More French-Speaking Health Professionals

News Release
2009-186
November 16, 2009
For immediate release

WELLINGTON - On behalf of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, announced today an important investment that will help Francophone students at the Collège Acadie Î.-P.-É. pursue opportunities in the health care field. These graduates are expected to increase the number of health care professionals who can serve French-speaking minority communities.

"The Government of Canada is committed to improving access to health services for Francophone Canadians outside of Quebec," says Minister Shea. "The funding announced today will help train francophone students who want to pursue educational opportunities in the health care field."

The Collège Acadie Î.-P.-É., one of the members of the Consortium national de formation en santé (CNFS) will work with the CNFS to recruit and train students and professors in the health sector, maintain and improve access to this training, as well as promote research related to health training and health services access in French.

The Consortium national de formation en santé is an umbrella organization that represents 11 different universities and colleges outside of Quebec that offer studies in French in a variety of health training programs.

This afternoon's funding announcement of $740, 000 for the Collège Acadie Î.-P.-É. is part of the $174.3 million in federal funding announced earlier today by the Honourable Percy Mockler, Senator from New Brunswick, for French and English-speaking minority community health initiatives under the Government of Canada's Roadmap for Linguistic Duality.

"This agreement will enable the Collège Acadie Î.-P.-É. to offer three new college training programs in French in the health field," said Mr. Claude Blaquière, President of the college. "These programs will produce thirty graduates, future bilingual employees who will contribute to improving access to quality health services in French in Prince Edward Island." 

Under the Roadmap, the Government of Canada outlined three priority areas for official languages related to health: health networking, training and retention initiatives for health professionals and official languages health projects. 

The Government of Canada will continue to work in collaboration with the provinces and territories and official language minority communities to further improve access to health services by training and retaining health care professionals, supporting community networks and new local projects.

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Media Enquiries:
Health Canada
(613) 957-2983

Josée Bellemare
Office of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq
Federal Minister of Health
(613) 957-0200

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