Speech-Language & Audiology Canada (SAC) is actively tracking changes to federal and provincial tariffs and their potential impact on the speech-language pathology and audiology professions.

Recent tariff measures announced by the U.S. government and subsequent retaliatory tariffs by the Canadian government may have implications for healthcare-related imports, including medical equipment and supplies. SAC is assessing how these developments could affect service delivery, professional practice, and accessibility for clients.

We are engaging with relevant stakeholders to stay informed and will keep members updated as more information becomes available. SAC remains committed to supporting our members and will continue to follow this issue closely to help them navigate any potential impacts.

As part of Speech & Hearing Month this May, Speech-Language & Audiology Canada (SAC) is creating a series of digital collateral to highlight the scope of practice and impact of speech-language pathologists and audiologists.

To bring these to life, we are looking for short, impactful patient testimonials that showcase how these professionals have helped improve lives.

We are looking for testimonials that highlight the necessity and impact of these services—whether it’s helping a child find their voice, supporting an adult in regaining communication after a stroke, or improving someone’s ability to hear and engage with the world around them.

All testimonials will be anonymous.

We encourage our members to share this with their network.

Thank you for your time and support in helping us raise awareness of the critical role these professionals play in communication health.

Share your story here.

This article originates from this NDN Collective press release on November 21, 2024.

These 21 NDN Changemakers are Indigenous organizers, activists, social entrepreneurs and cultural practitioners throughout Turtle Island and beyond who are challenging the status quo and building a better future for all people and Mother Earth.

Rapid City, SD – Today, NDN Collective announces the 2024/26 NDN Changemaker Fellowship Cohort, a two-year fellowship consisting of 21 Indigenous leaders from throughout Turtle Island and beyond who are radically transforming Indigenous communities by defending Indigenous lands, waters, and rights; developing solutions for the future that regenerate the health of the Earth and our communities; and revitalizing our languages, governance practices, ceremonies, and ways of life. They are organizers, activists, social entrepreneurs and cultural practitioners who are challenging the status quo and building a better future for all people and Mother Earth.

“Although this is our fifth year offering the Changemaker Fellowship opportunity, this year marks the first time that NDN is conducting the Fellowship over a two-year time period,” said Serene Lawrence, Program Officer at NDN Collective. “By increasing our investment in the wellness and growth of Indigenous community members, our hope is that these individuals, their families and their communities will feel a greater scope of impact as a result of NDN’s support.”

Each fellow was uplifted and selected by grassroots members of their region in a process which involved nearly 500 applicants from 21 different regions across the colonial nation-states of Canada, Mexico and the U.S. including its surrounding Island nations.

“Learning about the many amazing changemakers throughout Turtle Island and Island Nations has been an incredible experience. Each application added a vibrant color to the future Indigenous leaders are building with their communities,” said Helen Aldana, Program Officer at NDN Collective. “We are honored to be a part of the 2024 – 2026 Changemakers’ journey as they take this time to invest in their personal and professional development to grow into the leaders they envision being for their community, their ancestors past and future, and Mother Earth.”

2024/26 NDN Changemaker Fellows

• Yazmín Novelo (Pueblo Maya Yucateco)
• Shelly Boyd (Sinixt/Arrow Lakes Colville Confederated Tribes)
• Rosalía Pablo Juárez (Pueblo Triqui)
• Octavio Domínguez Rosas (Indígena nahua)
• Ivy Richardson (Quatsino First Nation)
• Guadalupe Tzopitl Montalvo (indígena nawa)
• Elvia Villani Catalán (Me´phaa)
• Brook Thompson (Yurok & Karuk)
• Bibi Naniki Reyes Ocasio (Boricua Original Peoples of Boriken, Taino)
• Angelina Garcia (Xicana/Caxcan)
• Amy Stiffarm (Aaniiih (Whiteclay), Chippewa Cree, Blackfeet)
• Ayyu Qassataq (Iñupiaq, Yup’ik and adopted Lingit)
• Breanna Lameman (Diné)
• Demian Lawrenchuk (Inniniw (swampy Cree))
• Diana Ooleepeeka Neill-Anawak (Inuk, Nunavut Land Claim (Inuit Nunangat)
• Elisha Ieshontenhawe King (Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk)- Akwesasne)
• Emma Perez (Chamorro of the Mariana Islands)
• Imaikalani Winchester (Kanaka Maoli)
• Kwahará:ni Jacobs (Registered Mohawk of Kahnawà:ke)
• Rosa King (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin)
• Kawennahente Toni Cook (Akwesasne Mohawk)

This article originally appeared in IndigiNews on January 19, 2024.

The First Nations Child and Family Caring Society says “Canada” has failed to properly implement Jordan’s Principle and families trying to apply for support are facing a dire backlog.

The organization has filed 1,000 pages of evidence to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal supporting a non-compliance motion against the federal government for failing on its promise of timely access to health care for First Nations children.

An affidavit from executive director Cindy Blackstock filed on January 12th says the federal government has allowed problems to “fester to crisis levels” with First Nations children paying the price. The Caring Society is asking the Human Rights Tribunal to order the federal government to take various actions to address the pileup of Jordan’s Principle requests.

In October 2023, the federal court approved a $23.34 billion Final Settlement Agreement (FSA) on compensation for First Nations children and families who experienced discrimination because of “Canada’s” flawed and inequitable provision of the First Nations Child and Family Services (FNCFS), and the improper implementation of Jordan’s Principle.

The FSA stems from several Canadian Human Rights Tribunal rulings, one of which, made in 2016, ordered the federal government “to cease applying its narrow definition of Jordan’s Principle and to take measures to immediately implement its full meaning and scope.”

“Canada has got to show us that it will obey legal orders,” said Blackstock, who is Gitxsan.

In a letter dated December 17, Christopher Rupar, counsel for the attorney general of “Canada” responded to the Caring Society’s motion by saying that success “is evident from the recently concluded landmark negotiated settlement on compensation in this matter.” But Blackstock says the only way a child or family can be compensated is if they’ve already been victimized, and “the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal still has to ensure future discrimination doesn’t happen.”

Jordan’s Principle works to ensure First Nations children can access healthcare and the social and educational services they need, when needed.

The child-first principle derives from Jordan River Anderson, a boy from Norway House Cree Nation in “Manitoba” who was born with multiple disabilities. He lived in a hospital for more than two years because federal and provincial governments couldn’t agree on who would pay for his at-home care.

In 2001, during his time in hospital, Jordan’s family, First Nation, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, and healthcare providers began advocating for the government to put Jordan first and provide the care he needed. At age five, Jordan died in hospital, his case unresolved, sparking a movement to uphold human rights for all First Nations children through the creation of Jordan’s Principle.

In her recent affidavit, Blackstock said, “I promised [Jordan’s] family that I would do everything I could to ensure that Jordan’s Principle was honoured so that no other child had to suffer as he did. Eighteen years later, I am still trying to keep that promise.”

Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) — the federal body whose role it is to process Jordan’s Principle requests — has been denying families requests it views as “income supplements,” according to the Caring Society.

The Jordan’s Principle Handbook says “Canada” must ensure “a decision on individual requests for supports and services for First Nations children within 12-48 hours of receiving a completed request.”

Instead, the Caring Society has found thousands of unopened email requests — something Blackstock said her organization learned about from a First Nations service provider instead of the government itself. Further, ISC has failed to provide timeframes for determination and payment, leaving families seeking alternative for-profit solutions at their own cost, according to the Caring Society.

“It’s a hardship for families,” said Blackstock.

According to Blackstock, it costs $538 to review a Jordan’s Principle request. One way to speed up the system, she said, would be to automatically approve all eligible requests under $500. “They’d immediately save themselves $38 a go.”

ISC’s 24-hour phone line often goes unanswered, according to the Caring Society, and callers experience long delays in callbacks, even for urgent cases. They’ve also witnessed Jordan’s Principle “plugging holes” in other under-funded programs, such as education and transportation, and want to see the federal government address the gaps.

In an attempt to address these challenges, the Caring Society, the Assembly of First Nations, and Canada (the Parties involved in the Class Action FSA on Compensation) agreed on a ‘back-to-basics’ approach to Jordan’s Principle in early 2022.

The approach includes reducing the administrative burden on families through lighter documentation requirements for urgent requests and presumes parents or guardians are acting in a child’s best interest with a request that is specific to their needs. The approach should make requests easier to resolve and for ISC to comply with Tribunal orders, ensuring change can trickle down and be fully realized by children and families.

However, The Caring Society says they’re still not seeing improvement from ISC.

“First Nations are running into deficits, putting up the money themselves,” said Blackstock.

The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal is expected to hear the case in April or May, and a case conference is scheduled to take place on January 23.

SAC is proud to play a role in Team Primary Care by developing Curricula to benefit patients with communication disorders in comprehensive interprofessional primary care (CIPC).

This article originally appeared on teamprimarycare.ca on June 8, 2023

The Team Primary Care initiative will transform the training of current and future generations of primary care practitioners, enhancing their ability to work in interprofessional teams.

MISSISSAUGA — June 8, 2023 — Today, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, on behalf of the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, announced a federal investment of $45.3 million in grant funding from Employment and Social Development Canada to the Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine. These funds will spearhead Team Primary Care: Training for Transformation, an initiative designed to build the capacity of interprofessional, comprehensive primary care practitioners working in teams through improved training, retention and planning tools.

The funding was awarded under the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program’s solicited call for proposals. At its core, Team Primary Care aims to enhance the readiness of a supported primary care workforce to deliver more team-based comprehensive services with greater continuity and coordination of care with a whole person orientation. This initiative includes dedicated funding to support the optimization of existing primary care teams through the integration of new team members.

“Many living in Canada currently do not have access to comprehensive primary care. This reality, compounded by the health workforce shortage, makes team-based care a valuable model for the delivery of comprehensive primary care,” said Claudia Zuccato Ria, Executive Director of the Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine. “By reimagining training for both current and future generations of primary care practitioners, we are launching a foundational component of broader primary care reform, bringing us closer to connecting everyone in Canada to interprofessional teams providing comprehensive continuing primary care.”

Team Primary Care is co-led by the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Canadian Health Workforce Network, in partnership with over 100 health professional and educational organizations across Canada.

“The combination of funding for education, infrastructure change and enabling collaboration between the health practitioner community are essential to build a primary care workforce that’s ready to deliver team-based care in Canada.” said Dr. Ivy Oandasan, Co-Lead of Team Primary Care and Director of Education at the College of Family Physicians of Canada. “The Team Primary Care initiative is based on this premise and is an important first step in the right direction.”

Team Primary Care is now collaborating with over 100 partners to develop over 40 practitioner-specific, primary care team training projects, with further projects anticipated to enhance, align, and increase readiness for practicing in this collaborative care delivery approach. Team Primary Care will also create and adapt interprofessional training approaches across health professions including support for the full participation of Indigenous and internationally educated practitioners, maximizing their integration.

“Team Primary Care is a unique and timely initiative that brings together the full range of primary care practitioners to train and learn how to work together,” said Ivy Lynn Bourgeault, Co-Lead of Team Primary Care and Lead of the Canadian Health Workforce Network and Professor, University of Ottawa. “Our initiative will increase the recognition of how each practitioner group can contribute to addressing the challenges individuals in Canada face in accessing primary care.”

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Alexandre Lalonde
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+1 905-629-0900 ext. 277
alalonde@cfpc.ca

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About the Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine

The Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine (FAFM; formerly known as the Research and Education Foundation) was established in 1994 to better serve the future of family medicine. The FAFM is dedicated to advancing the discipline of family medicine through research and education initiatives. The FAFM offers numerous awards, grants, and scholarships, as well as initiatives to support the training and continuing professional development of medical students, family medicine residents, and family physicians at every stage of their careers.

About the College of Family Physicians of Canada

The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) is a professional organization representing more than 42,000 members nationwide. The College establishes the standards for and accredits postgraduate family medicine training in Canada’s 17 medical schools. It reviews and certifies continuing professional development programs and materials that enable family physicians to meet certification and licensing requirements. The CFPC provides high-quality services, supports family medicine teaching and research, and advocates on behalf of the speciality of family medicine, family physicians, and the patients they serve.

About the Canadian Health Workforce Network

The Canadian Health Workforce Network is a knowledge exchange network of researchers, decision-makers, and other knowledge users with expertise in health workforce planning, policy and management. Its internationally recognized, interdisciplinary and intersectoral health workforce research expertise provides an excellent foundation to lead large, multi-stakeholder projects to address complex health workforce challenges while building capacity in both official languages.