Where are the French appointments on Virtual Care NB?
This morning, I checked the new Government of New Brunswick Virtual Care NB booking system.
When English is selected, appointments are available on multiple upcoming dates.
When French is selected, the system says:
“There are no available time slots. Please choose another option or contact your clinic.”
That is difficult to reconcile with what GNB told New Brunswickers when it replaced eVisitNB.
GNB repeatedly highlighted access in both official languages when explaining and promoting the new service.
When the change from eVisitNB was announced, the Department of Health said the procurement was intended to ensure virtual care could continue to be provided in both official languages.
When GNB announced the Foundever contract, one of the requirements it specifically highlighted was:
“A bilingual service available seven days a week.”
Minister John Dornan subsequently told New Brunswickers that the new virtual-care model would provide care “in both official languages.”
And immediately before the service launched, GNB again publicly stated that Virtual Care NB would “offer bilingual services.”
GNB’s own Virtual Care NB webpage still says today:
“Virtual Care NB is a bilingual service.”
There is also important history here.
eVisitNB had previously faced legitimate complaints regarding French-language access. Those concerns were investigated by the Commissioner of Official Languages.
But by January 2025, the Department of Health itself reported that the corrective measures had been implemented, that there had been no new complaints, that English and French service were equivalent, satisfaction exceeded 90% in both languages, and staffing capacity existed in both official languages for every shift.
Despite that, bilingual access was repeatedly highlighted by GNB as an important feature of the service replacing eVisitNB.
So the question today is simple:
How is it acceptable for the replacement service to show appointments available in English while offering no appointments at all in French?
Minister Dornan promised New Brunswickers a bilingual health-care service, not simply a bilingual website.
Being able to read a booking page in French is not the same as being able to receive health care in French.
If this is a temporary problem, GNB should explain what happened and when French-language appointments will be restored.
If it is not temporary, then New Brunswickers deserve to know how a service specifically procured, promoted and launched as bilingual seven days a week can operate with English appointments available and apparently nothing available in French.
A bilingual website is not a bilingual health-care service.
And if French-language access was important enough for GNB to highlight when replacing eVisitNB, surely it is important enough to actually provide now.
