News CHSSN Welcomes Senate Report Highlighting Linguistic Barriers in Health and Social Services February 20, 2026 CHSSN News CHSSN Welcomes Senate Report Highlighting Linguistic Barriers in Health and Social Services The Community Health and Social Services Network (CHSSN) is pleased to see the release of the Senate Standing Committee on Official Languages’ new report examining barriers to accessing health and social services in one’s official language of choice. The CHSSN and several other community organizations from Quebec presented their concerns about accessing health and social services in English in Quebec during the 18-month consultation. This report highlights that language barriers in health care can have profound impacts on the quality, equity and safety of health care services and confirmed that although access to health in English is protected by legislation in Quebec, the delivery of these services is limited by institutions resources and capacity to provide services in English. These limitations result in uneven and unpredictable access to care for English-speakers in Quebec. These findings confirm what CHSSN and its partners have witnessed for decades: receiving care in one’s preferred language is essential for quality health care, and it can be very challenging to ensure in Quebec. The report also puts forward a set of recommendations to address these barriers. These include reviewing the Canada Health Act to better align federal health investments with the Official Languages Act; establishing clear and enforceable language clauses in federal health agreements; and enhancing direct funding for community organizations, which recognizes that multi-year funding for community organizations that play a vital role in ensuring the needs of the community are understood and that vulnerable populations are represented. The recommendations also call for improved language data collection, the adoption of language concordance best practice measures and supporting the application of a language lens to all health research. CHSSN also wishes to recognize and thank the many Networking and Partnership Initiative (NPI) organizations that contributed their expertise, experience, and voices to this report over the past three years. CHSSN extends their sincere appreciation to 4Korners, ACDPN, CASA, COASTERS, Connexions, ECO-02, and Vision Gaspé–Percé Now, as well as to the parent representative from Saguenay, and to representatives from SAQ, TALQ, McGill, along with numerous researchers and community stakeholders. Their contributions have truly made a difference and helped ensure that community realities are reflected in this important national document. “This report confirms what our communities have long experienced — that language matters profoundly in health and social services,” said Jennifer Johnson, Executive Director of CHSSN. “We are especially encouraged to see clear recognition of the essential role of community organizations and the importance of sustained federal investment to support their work. This report provides strong momentum to continue working collaboratively toward equitable, safe, and accessible services for official language minority communities.” CHSSN looks forward to working with governments, institutions, and community partners to help implement the report’s recommendations and continue strengthening equitable access to health and social services for official language minority communities. Read the full Senate Report OLLO_Rapport_Sante_Final_eDownload About CHSSN Since 2000, the Community Health and Social Services Network (CHSSN) works to improve access to health and social services for English-speaking communities across Quebec through research, partnership, and community development. Share This Article Twitter LinkedIn Email