New Brunswick’s Green Party Leader, and member of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, wants reassurances that nursing home residents can receive care in their preferred language.

David Coon has penned a letter to the Chair of the Official Languages Committee Benoit Bourque.

He says there is an urgent need for a meeting on this.

In the letter, Coon says, “This is consistent with the recommendations made in the Report of the 2021 Review of the Official Languages Act of New Brunswick by Commissioners Yvette Finn and John McLaughlin. The Official Languages Commissioner, Shirley MacLean has also spoken about the need to bring nursing homes under the Official Languages Act, as recently as this week.”

Coon proposes that witnesses be invited to a meeting to share their views, including the Official languages Commissioner, nursing home managers, residents and their families, and advocacy groups.

He adds that language choice must be available so that the most vulnerable can live out their last days using their mother tongue, French or English.

“I propose we write a report for the Legislative Assembly recommending a strategy for implementing the recommendations concerning nursing homes made in the Finn-McLaughlin report and supported by the Official Languages Commissioner,” Coon adds.