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IQALUIT
Of the six people attending a May 16 public meeting to solicit concerns about lack of access to services in official languages at Iqaluit's Qikiqtani General Hospital, only two were members of the public, and they did not have any complaints.

Language commissioner Alexina Kublu, right, speaks with Emily Ridlington on May 16 after a public consultation session that heard no complaints from the public regarding access to language services at Qikiqtani General Hospital. - Casey Lessard/NNSL photo

"It's kind of sad. There's a lot of people out there with a lot of complaints and they're not here," said investigative research assistant Ooleepeeka Joamie. "How are we going to report this? How are we going to help them?"

"We'd like to see people coming forward with their concerns and feel they have the right to do so," said investigative researcher Maude Bertrand, who is leading the systemic investigation into the problem launched by language commissioner Alexina Kublu Feb. 24.

Bertrand and Joamie have already performed interviews with complainants who say the hospital does not give access to health care, employment or medical information in Inuktitut and French.

"When you walk into the hospital, already you're vulnerable," Bertrand said. "You're in pain, and you can't expect a patient to ask for service in their language. There has to be an active offer of service. Under the Official Languages Act, the Inuit languages, French and English are the official languages of Nunavut, which means we have equal rights, status and privilege. If you go to Qikiqtani General Hospital, you should be able to receive services in the Inuit languages or French as much as English."

The main concerns Kublu has heard involve a lack of access to medical escorts and caregivers who speak the patient's language, access to medical information and signage in all official languages, and access to employment due to a lack of bilingual abilities, Bertrand said.

Staff were hoping more people with concerns would come to the meeting, but of the six (not including Kublu, Bertrand and Joamie), three were reporters, and one was health communications manager Patricia Crowdis. The only members of the public were a couple: the man was an English-speaking GN staffer who wanted clarity on the rules related to his work, which is not related to the hospital. He would not provide his name to Nunavut News/North.

Crowdis said the health department would not be commenting on the meeting.

"It would be inappropriate to comment until after the Nunavut language commissioner's investigation, and after we have received a report and a meeting with the language commissioner," hospital CEO Bernie Schmidt stated in a release Feb. 29, the day after the investigation was announced.

Bertrand expects to close the investigation at the end of May, by which time she hopes anyone with a concern will have come forward. The language commissioner's report will be presented to deputy minister Peter Ma, who will forward it to the legislative assembly.

"They will have to follow the recommendations," Kublu said. "If they don't, within a timeframe set by the language commissioner, we might have to go through mediation."

"The purpose of this investigation is not to work against the Qikiqtani General Hospital," Bertrand said. "It's to work with them toward the common goal of access to health care in their (patients') official language of choice. Things are going well and we're getting a lot of support from the hospital."

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