Fredericton (February 10, 2026) — The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages for New Brunswick is releasing the 2024-2025 Annual Report which details its activities between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025.
“There is not a day that goes by that the issue of access to healthcare is not raised in the news here in New Brunswick. At the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, we are also regularly contacted by New Brunswickers who failed to receive healthcare services in their official language of choice,” said Commissioner MacLean. “Over the previous two annual reports, our office has highlighted complaints filed by New Brunswickers about two platforms, eVisitNB and MyHealthNB, and the public’s inability to receive health services in the official language of their choice.”
It should be noted that these platforms have been developed for the use of the public and are intended for the public. The Official Languages Act (OLA) clearly states, in sections 27 and 29, that the public has the right to communicate with and to receive its services from government institutions in the official language of their choice.
“In the cases where technology is used in creating new ways to access services, it appears in some cases that official language obligations are not taken into consideration, or worse, are ignored as part of a cost-benefit analysis by the government,” said Commissioner MacLean.
Between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025, the Office of the Commissioner received 125 complaints. Of these, 62 were admissible, 19 alleging a lack of service in English and 43 alleging a lack of service in French. In addition, 25 admissible complaints were carried over from previous years. Furthermore, 80 requests for information were submitted to the Office of the Commissioner.
In last year’s annual report, the Commissioner called on Premier Holt to adopt further recommendations that were included in the Finn-McLaughlin Report so that meaningful amendments can be made towards achieving true equality of our two official linguistic communities. It was announced in November 2025 that the Standing Committee on Official Languages of the Legislative Assembly will be reviewing the report and the OLA by the end of 2026.
“As Commissioner, I will be making recommendations that concrete steps be undertaken which will preserve, protect and enhance the official minority language in New Brunswick,” said Commissioner MacLean. “I believe we must address the decline of the French Language in New Brunswick in an aggressive manner. A language can be lost – let’s be vigilant. Doing so will benefit all New Brunswickers!”
Full report: https://bit.ly/OCOLNB_AR24-25