Advancing equitable health and primary health care access for English-speaking Black communities in Quebec

Language is increasingly recognized as a key determinant of health, particularly in contexts where linguistic and racial identities intersect. In Quebec, the English-speaking Black community (ESBC) occupies a unique position at the intersection of racialized minority status and official language minority status. Despite this, there is limited disaggregated data on how these intersecting identities shape access to primary healthcare and health outcomes. This gap reflects broader systemic challenges in Canadian health research, including a lack of representation of racialized populations in available data and a relative scarcity of Canadian studies compared to other countries.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, our research team, in partnership with the Black Community Resource Centre (BCRC), has investigated health inequities affecting Black communities in Quebec. Our previous work has identified racial and linguistic disparities in healthcare experiences, including lower vaccination uptake, higher distrust in the healthcare system, reduced access to regular healthcare providers, and less access to COVID-19–related information among English-speaking Black communities compared to other groups. We also found that perceived discrimination is linked to poorer health outcomes and lower satisfaction with care. Building on these findings, this study uses Self-Determination Theory to examine how perceptions of restricted collective autonomy and language barriers shape healthcare access and dissatisfaction among ESBC populations in Quebec. The goal is to better understand the mechanisms driving inequities in healthcare experiences and outcomes, and to inform more equitable health system responses.

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The intersecting impacts of racism and language barriers on the wellbeing and sense of belonging of English-speaking Black young adults in Quebec

Full title: Whether I belong, depends on whether my group belongs: The intersecting impacts of racism and language barriers on the wellbeing and sense of belonging of English-speaking Black young adults in Quebec 

The proposed three-wave longitudinal research will examine the perception of multiple forms of discrimination (i.e., racism, language barriers) experienced by English-speaking Black individuals in Quebec, a racialized and official language minority population. Following a Self-Determination Theory framework, the primary objective is to examine perception of barriers to healthcare and the basic psychological needs of collective autonomy for English-speaking Black individuals in response to racism and language barriers in every-day life. Furthermore, we will also examine whether greater barriers to healthcare and deprivation of collective autonomy will decrease psychological well-being and increase intentions to leave Quebec for English-speaking Black Quebecers, respectively. With a focus on intersecting and context-dependent forms of discrimination within the healthcare system, the current study will further our understanding on how well-being and intention to migrate are affected among racialized and official language minority populations, in the hope of informing health and social policies and developing interventions collaboratively with community partners.