MONCTON, NB – While francophone groups are stressing the importance of duality in the health care system, Premier David Alward says New Brunswickers don’t want two separate health care systems.

While visiting the Acadian Peninsula several months ago, Alward suffered a kidney stone attack.

He says the health professionals in Tracadie did a phenomenal job treating him and serving him in his mother tongue.

Alward tells the Telegraph Journal that while he believes both health authorities should offer a reasonable level of bilingual services, New Brunswickers are not asking for a dual system.

He says duplications exist within the system, as a whole.   He says his government is working to eliminate that.

Jean Marie Nadeau of the New Brunswick Acadian Society says language duality is a right for citizens.

He tells Global News that comments questioning that are unfair…

“We are supposed to be an equal community and that brings us back to the (past) that we are second class citizens… and we know we are not.”  says Nadeau.