There are more than 52,000 French speakers in Saskatchewan, including a high proportion of seniors and an influx of newcomers whose official language is French, so having French language health services is essential and a priority for the Fransaskois community.

This, from a report of the Advisory Committee on Francophone Affairs to the provincial government.

Some of the health recommendations include the Ministry of Health and the Saskatchewan Health Authority making sure mechanisms are in place to offer health professions who can speak French to come forward and offer their services in French and to follow Alberta’s lead and make a concrete commitment to include a specific investment in French language health services in future bilateral health agreements.

A second report from the Advisory Committee focused on culture and inclusion.

A few of the recommendations included the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport working with the French historical society of Saskatchewan to support the designation of a provincial heritage property reflecting Fransaskois history, that Creative Saskatchewan translate their programs into French and that funding agencies adopt a Francophone lens to assess whether their program criteria are fair to Fransaskois artists and organizations.

The report says, “Access to artistic and cultural activities in French is both a manifestation of a community’s vitality and a contributor to that vitality. “