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Pan-Canadian Alliance of Speech-Language
Pathology and Audiology Associations - Q & A
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What
is the Pan-Canadian Alliance of Speech-Language Pathology
and Audiology Associations?
I'm still not clear on
the role of CASLPA, the role of the provinces/territories
and the role of regulatory bodies. Can you please clarify
this for me?
How is the Pan-Canadian
Alliance of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Associations
alliance better or different than CASLPA or my provincial
association? Aren't they just providing these same services?
Doesn't CASLPA have provincial
representatives on the Board who can serve the same purpose?
Why do we have to formalize
collaboration with the Pan-Canadian Alliance of Speech-Language
Pathology and Audiology Associations? Why can't we just
agree to collaborate?
What are the Roles of the
Presidential Representatives of the Pan-Canadian Alliance
of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Associations?
What is the Pan-Canadian
Alliance of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Associations
currently working on?
How does the Pan-Canadian
Alliance of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Associations
differ from joint membership?
What is the Pan-Canadian
Alliance of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Associations?
- The Pan-Canadian Alliance of Speech-Language
Pathology and Audiology Associations is a formal collaborative
agreement between professional associations ensuring
that resources are pooled to effectively address priorities
for our professions. Pooled resources provide more power
in numbers as well as ideas, finances, connections,
resources, etc.
- Only professional associations can
effectively lobby for client services and jobs for professionals.
- Within Canada, provincial and national
associations have different jurisdictions when it comes
to influencing the nature and availability of speech,
language and hearing services. These powers are complementary
so that the national and provincial/ territorial organizations
need to work together to achieve the maximum benefits
for members. Working together also minimizes duplication
of services, projects, etc.
- The Pan-Canadian Alliance of Speech-Language
Pathology and Audiology Associations therefore ensures
that collectively we are best able to make the case
for increased service and resource requirements for
the communicatively impaired.
-
Finally, in a rapidly changing world,
the Pan-Canadian Alliance of Speech-Language Pathology
and Audiology Associationshelps ensure that we can
proactively plan for our professional futures, rather
than reacting to crises as they arise.
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I'm still not clear
on the role of CASLPA, the role of the provinces/territories
and the role of regulatory bodies?
CASLPA is the national association representing
the interests of speech-language pathologists and audiologists.
CASLPA's focus is on national programs and activities,
certification, international agreements, lobbying at the
federal level, liaising at the national level with other
national health/education associations, national conference,
online learning, professional journal, etc.
Provincial/Territorial Associations
represent the interests and unique needs of speech-language
pathologists and audiologists within their respective
province/territory. They lobby governments on funding
and legislative issues at the provincial level, provide
a forum for communication within the province/territory,
they communicate with media, health care professionals,
and other provincial/territorial professional associations
and consumer organizations that share an interest in health
and educational needs relating to communication and they
provide some continuing education.
The purpose of the regulatory bodies/colleges
is to regulate the professions, in the public interest,
and to govern their respective members in accordance with
the Regulated Health Professions Act in their province.
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How is the Pan-Canadian
Alliance of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Associations
better or different than CASLPA or my provincial association
? Aren't they just providing these same services?
The best way to illustrate this is through
an example:
Health care providers are the backbone of Canada's health
care system. Planners and policy makers need timely and
accurate information to ensure a continued supply of providers
offering appropriate services to all Canadians. Our Provincial
and Territorial associations each need to lobby and make
their Ministers of Health aware of our professions and
stress the importance of being included in this data collection.
CASLPA can then use this aggregate data to lobby federal
governments and work collectively with the members of
the Pan-Canadian Alliance of Speech-Language Pathology
and Audiology Associations on an advocacy campaign that
would target both provincial/territorial and federal levels
of government on the same issue.
The Federal Government is influenced to a great extent
by the provincial/territorial committees - for both education
and health. We need a mechanism/coalition/alliance to
be able to facilitate collaborative efforts on priority
areas for our members to be able to have maximum influence.
Each of us doing it on our own will have little or no
effect. I know it sounds cliché - but together
we CAN make a difference.
We believe the Pan-Canadian Alliance of Speech-Language
Pathology and Audiology Associations can make this difference.
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Doesn't CASLPA have
provincial representatives on the Board who can do the
same thing?
CASLPA does have provincial representatives
on their board - but they do not represent their respective
provincial associations. (i.e., BCASLPA, OSLA, PEISHA,
etc.) They obtain feedback and bring provincial/territorial
experience and expertise to the national board table-
to make national decisions. The provincial/territorial
associations are the only ones who can represent the provincial/territorial
needs of S-LPs and Auds in their respective provinces/territories.
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Why do we have to
formalize collaboration with the Pan-Canadian Alliance
of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Associations?
Why can't we just agree to collaborate?
- Experience with all associations
has demonstrated that unless collaboration is formalized,
i.e. planned, it will not occur. Good intentions are
not enough. Agreed upon plans and goals can be implemented,
even when volunteers leaders turn over.
- Current examples of formalized agreements
exist everywhere in our globalized world, i.e. NATO,
the European Common Market, NAFTA, Agreement on Internal
Trade (AIT), etc.
- Collaboration enhances the chance
of successful outcomes. We have experienced this through
our work on the National Coalition on Noisy Toys and
HEAL (Health Action Lobby - which is a group of 30 national
health organizations that lobby government collectively
on key areas of mutual concern)
- Among the current Pan-Canadian Alliance
of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Associations
members, the amount of collaboration and communication
is many, many times more extensive than it ever was
before - and promises to become even greater. It is
important to highlight here that this collaboration
and communication has occurred between all members of
the Pan-Canadian Alliance of Speech-Language Pathology
and Audiology Associations.
- The Pan-Canadian Alliance of Speech-Language
Pathology and Audiology Associations meets by teleconference
2-3 times per year and once per year in conjunction
with the CASLPA conference - thus minimizing expenses.
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What are the Roles
of the Presidential Representatives of the Pan-Canadian
Alliance of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Associations?
The Pan-Canadian Alliance of Speech-Language Pathology
and Audiology Associations Agreement defines the roles
of national and provincial/ territorial organizations
as unique, autonomous and complementary within Canada.
As such, this formal collaborative agreement supports
an open, team-oriented approach to pursuing the best interests
of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists and their
respective clients across Canada. With this perspective,
below we define the unique roles for members of the Pan-Canadian Alliance of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
Associations.
Role of the Presidential Representatives
of the Pan-Canadian Alliance of Speech-Language Pathology
and Audiology Associations:
- They help define, prioritize and
implement the objectives set at the Pan-Canadian Alliance
of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Associations
meetings.
- They could help to: implement national
media, governmental and public relations strategies
and coordinate nation-wide public relations initiatives,
by bringing shared media to the respective provinces/territories
to educate the public about the vital roles Speech-Language
Pathologists and Audiologists play to further the well-being
of Canadians.
- They support ongoing communication
processes among the Pan-Canadian Alliance of Speech-Language
Pathology and Audiology Associations to help improve
planning and coordination of initiatives.
- They share materials, i.e. brochures,
guidelines, position papers, etc., for the collective
benefit of the Pan-Canadian Alliance of Speech-Language
Pathology and Audiology Associations.
- They recommend improvements to enhance
the collaborative relationships of the agreement.
- Each president gets one vote, therefore
the voices are equal (including CASLPA).
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What is the Pan-Canadian Alliance of
Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Associations currently
working on?
- Client/Service Waitlists
- Incidence of Speech, Language and
Hearing disorders
- National Human Resources Forum (recruitment
& retention of S-LPs and Audiologists)
- Supportive personnel in S-LP and
Audiology
Since there are different definitions
for waitlists, definitions used in various provinces/territories
will be collected and shared so that the Pan-Canadian
Alliance of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Associations
can agree on which one they prefer.
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How does the Pan-Canadian Alliance of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
Associations differ from joint membership?
Joint membership is an agreement between
CASLPA and a province/territory to harmonize the collection
of membership fees for full, reduced and student membership
categories. Current provinces that have a joint membership
agreement requiring 100% of their members to belong to
both CASLPA and their provincial territorial association
include: PEI, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Yukon and the Northwest
Territories. These provinces receive the following benefits
from CASLPA:
- CASLPA collects the annual membership
fees and remits the provincial/territorial portion to
the province/territory (members only have to renew with
one association);
- CASLPA provides $400 per year towards
Directors' and Officers' liability insurance when purchased
through CASLPA's provider;
- CASLPA provides complimentary registration
for the provincial/territorial president to attend the
CASLPA conference; and
- CASLPA invites the provincial/territorial
president to a complementary volunteer development session
held in conjunction with the CASLPA conference.
The Pan-Canadian Alliance of Speech-Language
Pathology and Audiology Associations does not require
mandatory membership between CASLPA and the province/territory.
The Pan-Canadian Alliance of Speech-Language Pathology
and Audiology Associations focuses on priority activities
that meet the collective, current and future needs of
our professions.
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