-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-
CASLPA Applauds New Budget’s Support of Canada’s Aboriginal Communities
Ottawa, ON (March 22, 2013) —The Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and
Audiologists (CASLPA) congratulated the government on several positive steps that were announced in
yesterday’s 2013 federal budget. CASLPA was particularly pleased at the government’s commitment to
improving health care on reserves and its focus on education for the country’s Aboriginal populations.
“Healthcare for Aboriginal communities has been an ongoing issue of concern for CASLPA. The current
lack of access to speech-language pathology and audiology services has serious repercussions. It’s
important to note that when left untreated and undiagnosed, speech, language and hearing disorders
become more difficult to treat and can lead to long-term learning and social problems,” said Joanne
Charlebois, Executive Director at the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and
Audiologist (CASLPA).
“The government’s inclusion of $48 million over the next two years towards improving quality of health
services in First Nations communities is noteworthy and will make a great difference for the people that
live there,” continued Charlebois.
The 2013 budget also included a variety of incentives meant to promote education and skills training for
the country’s Aboriginal populations. The $241 million investment over the next five years will help
ensure that young recipients have the incentive to participate in training necessary for them to gain
employment.
“By investing in skills training, the government is effectively investing in the future prosperity of the
country’s Aboriginal population. It is our hope that education in treating communications disorders will
take place in order to address the current lack of available services in many First Nations communities,”
concluded Charlebois. “It is extremely important that members of Canada’s Aboriginal communities
collaborate and participate in the delivery of communication disorder services. CASLPA has met with
several Members of Parliament to stress the need to build community capacity for training community
members in a supportive role to deliver speech, language and hearing programming.”
-30CASLPA, with over 6,000 members, is the only national body that supports and represents the professional needs of speech-language
pathologists, audiologists and supportive personnel inclusively within one organization. Through this support, CASLPA champions the needs of
people with communication disorders. Visit CASLPA at www.caslpa.ca or learn more at www.speechandhearing.ca.
For more information, please contact:
Cynthia Waldmeier, CASLPA Public Affairs
Telephone: 613-233-8906 /613-894-2128 (cell)
Email: cynthia@impactcanada.com
www.speechandhearing.ca • www.caslpa.ca • facebook/CASLPA • twitter.com/CASLPA