VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 13, 2026 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health, announced an investment of more than $345,000 to the Government of British Columbia for its project "Equitable Access to Personal Health Information". The project will help improve access to health services in French across in the province.

This investment is laying the groundwork for improved health services for Francophone communities through the Official Languages Health Program (OLHP). This investment is helping enhance  the Government of British Columbia's digital health platforms to capture patients preferred official language. This information can then be used to plan better access to French-language health services across the province.  

The Government of Canada will continue working with partners to improve access to health care services for everyone, including services in the official language of their choice.

Quotes

"Everyone in Canada should have access to health services in their official language of choice, regardless of where they live. When it comes to health care, a language barrier can lead to a life-or-death situation. This is why the Government of Canada is supporting projects that will improve access to health services for Francophones and Anglophones living in minority communities in Canada."

The Honourable Marjorie Michel
Minister of Health

"All Canadians should be able to access health services and health information in the official language of their choice. I am pleased that this funding will enhance access to health services for Francophone minority communities in British Columbia, while promoting the substantive equality of Canada's two official languages from coast to coast to coast."

The Honourable Marc Miller
Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages

"Access to care should not depend on the language a person speaks. That's why this partnership with the Government of Canada to expand French-language health-care services in B.C. is so important. This work is about fairness and accessibility—it helps remove language barriers and makes it easier for people in Francophone communities to access the support they need."

Josie Osborne
British Columbia's Minister of Health

Quick Facts

• The OLHP was launched in 2003 and receives funding through the Government of Canada's Action Plan for Official Languages. The Program supports non-profit organizations, post-secondary institutions and provincial and territorial governments that aim to improve access to health services for official language minority communities (OLMC) - Francophones living outside Quebec and English-speaking communities in Quebec.
• The "Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028: Protection-Promotion-Collaboration" announced that, in addition to existing funding of $192.2 million over five years, Health Canada's OLHP will also receive $14.5 million over five years (for a total of $206.7 million over five years). This additional funding will support non-profit organizations, provincial and territorial governments and post-secondary institutions that serve OLMCs to train and retain bilingual health professionals, support health networking initiatives as well as innovative projects.
• Budget 2023 outlined the Government's plan to invest close to $200 billion over 10 years, including $46.2 billion in new funding to provinces and territories to strengthen Canada's public health care system. This includes $25 billion of funding through tailored bilateral agreements to meet the specific needs of each province and territory.

Associated Links

• Official Languages Health Program

SOURCE Health Canada (HC)