Community Information

The CHSSN document Investment Priorities 2009-2013 indicates that 12% of Quebec’s population (920,000 of 7.7 million) is English-speaking. Health and demographic statistics show us that the English-speaking community continues to experience important stresses related to demographic realities which have implications for their health and well-being such as:

• Aging faster than the French majority community and an important loss of adult-aged individuals who traditionally provide social support
• Migration of youth to urban centres and out of province
• Higher levels of low income than their Francophone neighbours
• Higher unemployment rates than Francophone communities in their region
• A weaker sense of belonging to local communities and the belief that the survival of English-speaking minority communities is threatened
• Less likely than other larger minority or larger majority groups to have a regular doctor, to use hospital services and to be able to access care from a specialist easily

From a health perspective, English-speaking communities face additional challenges in an area where access to appropriate services is limited due to minority status. These challenges include:

• Lack of human resources capable of offering English services
• Low volume of English service requests in regions of low population density to justify additional services
• Difficulty in planning services due to a lack of knowledge on required needs
• Low capacity of communities to participate in regional planning with low English-speaking population; and lack community infrastructure

The Quebec Health and Social Services Foundation’s experience in charitable work will assist the vulnerable English speaking minority communities of the province of Quebec to address the health and demographic challenges they are presently facing.