In the chamber on Tuesday, the leader of the official opposition Roger Melanson criticized the government for not having a long-term health recruitment plan.
In one of his speeches, the Premier replied that the language requirements may create an additional barrier for New Brunswick, compared to other provinces, when the time comes to recruit.
The Premier of New Brunswick. Blaine Higgs (archive).
Photo: Radio-Canada
—
Should unilinguals be taught the second language once they have finished their studies, or when they are ready to work?
, asked Blaine Higgs. I’m not saying language is the main barrier, but I believe it is.
The leader of the New Brunswick People’s Alliance, Kris Austin, agrees with the Prime Minister.
Hiring unilingual people and providing them with language training afterwards should go without saying, when it comes to health.
, he said.
Liberals and outraged greens
Good that Blaine Higgs indicated in the chamber that it was essential to have these discussions, because it is about a health issue, not a language issue
, not all are convinced.
New Brunswick Liberal Party Interim Leader Roger Melanson said he found disturbing
and worrying
that members of Parliament stood up to applaud the Prime Minister’s comments in his speech.
New Brunswick Liberal Party Interim Leader Roger Melanson (archived).
Photo: Radio-Canada
—
It’s really embarrassing to see the reaction of the caucus
, he said. This is not a linguistic issue, it is acquired rights, which are enshrined in the Canadian constitution.
Same story for the Green MP for Kent-North, Kevin Arseneau.
It’s mind boggling
, he says. [Blaine Higgs] is saying I’m gonna break the charter, and I don’t care.“,” text “:” Clearly it [Blaine Higgs] is saying I’m going to break the charter, and I don’t care. “}}”>Clearly he [Blaine Higgs] is saying I’m gonna break the charter, and I don’t care.
Other factors
New Brunswick physicians are among the lowest paid in Canada.
In a recent independent study by Dr. Yogi Sehgal, an emergency physician in Fredericton and Oromocto, it was reported that this factor may also play a role in recruitment and retention.
According to Roger Melanson, the source of the problem is that the provincial government must offer incentives, as do other Canadian provinces.
The Prime Minister’s comments, which remain vague, worry those who are concerned about respecting language rights.
From a report by Michel Corriveau
–
