Jolaine Sihomnoue brings Outaouais perspective to provincial health forum

Tashi Farmilo

A new cohort to its Forum de consultation, a resident and expert advisory body created to inform the province’s approach to health and social services, has been appointed by Quebec’s Health and Welfare Commissioner. Over a three-year term, the Forum will provide independent insight into the challenges facing the provincial system and offer recommendations rooted in the lived realities of residents and the expertise of practitioners and researchers.

Among those selected is Jolaine Sihomnoue, who will represent the Outaouais. A mother, student and community advocate, Sihomnoue brings a perspective shaped by personal experience and a strong commitment to equity. Her work focuses on ensuring that voices often excluded from policymaking—immigrants, single mothers, racialized communities, and others facing systemic barriers—are not only heard but taken seriously.

“I want to take my place and make my voice heard, along with those who, like me, live realities that are often overlooked,” she said. Her vision for the Forum centres on inclusion and the need for public health policy to reflect the complexity of life in Quebec’s diverse communities.

In the Outaouais, one of the most pressing issues remains access to care. Residents often turn to neighbouring Ontario for basic health services due to a chronic shortage of providers and limited availability in the public system. Sihomnoue described the burden this places on individuals and families, particularly those without reliable transportation or sufficient income. “It creates delays, extra costs and a feeling of abandonment,” she said.

She also pointed to deep-rooted social and economic inequalities in the region, particularly for newcomers, low-income families and young people. Inadequate housing, rising mental health needs and a lack of culturally adapted services are among the barriers she hopes to raise in the Forum’s deliberations.

Her priorities include strengthening prevention and mental health supports, improving access to services, and fostering collaboration between institutions and the communities they serve. She places particular importance on human-centred approaches that focus on care, dignity and respect.

“I see my role as a bridge between the people of the Outaouais and the Forum,” she said. “It is about listening carefully and bringing forward those realities with clarity and honesty, so that policy reflects what people are truly experiencing.”

The Forum will meet at least three times per year beginning this fall. Its 26 members include 17 residents from across Quebec and nine experts in fields such as law, ethics, psychiatry, social work and Indigenous governance.

Commissioner Joanne Castonguay underscored the importance of the Forum’s diversity. “Its primary strength lies in the sharing of knowledge and experience from members who come from different geographic, social and disciplinary backgrounds,” she said in a statement announcing the appointments.

For Sihomnoue, the task ahead is both practical and deeply personal. “We need to stop designing systems around institutions and start designing them around people,” she said. “That begins by listening to those who live with the consequences of policy every day.”