The federal Canada Student Loan Forgiveness Program is designed to help reduce workforce shortages in rural and remote communities by offering federal student loan forgiveness to eligible health and social service professionals. Although the government recently expanded the program to include ten additional occupations, speech-language pathologists (S-LPs) and audiologists were not included.

As highlighted in SAC’s recent consultation submission, this exclusion is a significant concern for our professions. S-LPs and audiologists provide essential diagnostic, therapeutic, and rehabilitative services. Failing to include our professions overlooks the serious and worsening shortages of S-LPs and audiologists in rural and remote areas, where access to communication, swallowing, balance, and hearing services is already limited.

At the same time, S-LPs and audiologists across Canada continue to experience high workloads, limited staffing, resource constraints, and burnout, all of which impact the availability and consistency of care nationwide.

SAC has consistently raised this issue through federal consultations, pre-budget submissions, and direct engagement with government officials. We continue to urge the government to update the Canada Student Financial Assistance Regulations and the Canada Student Loans Regulations to explicitly include S-LPs and audiologists.

Although our professions remain excluded, SAC’s advocacy remains strong and ongoing. We will continue to update our members as this work progresses.

Take Action: Contact Your MP 

SAC members are encouraged to contact their local Member of Parliament (MP) to share concerns about the exclusion of speech-language pathologists and audiologists from the Canada Student Loan Forgiveness Program. 

You can: 

• Use the Find Your MP tool to locate your MP’s contact information.
• Personalize and send SAC’s template letter to your MP. 

Adding a brief example from your own practice or community can further strengthen your message. 

Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) members have ratified a new four-year collective agreement with Alberta Health Services, securing a 12% general wage increase over the life of the contract. The deal, which covers the period from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2028, provides a 3% wage hike each year. Immediate financial relief is prioritized, with retroactive pay for the 2024 and 2025 increases expected by the December 24 payroll run, alongside a new 2% premium for members with over 20 years of service.

For speech-language pathologists and audiologists specifically, the agreement secures critical professional wins beyond the basic wage adjustment. Most notably, it includes a Letter of Understanding mandating a joint review of “SLP (II/III)”and “Audiologist (I/II)” classifications, creating a formal pathway to modernize job structures and recognize the evolving complexity of communication health practice. The contract also supports professional standards by establishing reimbursement of up to $504 annually for professional fees, increasing preceptor pay by $2.00/hour, and guaranteeing three paid professional development days per year.

Finally, this agreement offers stability during a time of significant transition within Alberta’s healthcare system. It guarantees the portability of seniority and benefits, ensuring that sick banks and vacation entitlements remain intact if members transfer from AHS to any of the new provincial health agencies (such as Acute Care Alberta or Primary Care Alberta) currently being established.

Learn more here.

The recent debate over British vs. Canadian English spellings in federal documents highlights how language conventions serve as more than technical rules –  they are vehicles for cultural identity and inclusion. Linguists and editors have urged the government to reaffirm Canadian English conventions, emphasizing that consistent spelling supports clarity and strengthens national identity. 

For speech-language pathologists, audiologists, and communication health assistants, this discussion resonates with broader professional responsibilities outlined in the SAC Position Paper on School-Based Speech-Language Pathology Services in the Context of Multilingualism. SAC stresses that home languages, dialects, and cultural identities are critical to students’ emotional, social, and academic well-being. Just as spelling conventions reflect Canada’s unique linguistic identity, culturally and linguistically responsive practices in education ensure equitable access to communication and literacy development. 

This debate is therefore a reminder that language variation- whether in spelling, dialect, or multilingual contexts- must be approached with cultural humility and a strength-based perspective. Consistent spelling conventions reduce confusion and promote clear communication, while recognition of diverse linguistic repertoires helps individuals, families, and communities thrive. The professions of speech-language pathology and audiology play a vital advocacy role in ensuring that language standards and practices reflect Canada’s multicultural and multilingual reality. 

Learn more here.

Alberta’s Bill 2 (Back to School Act) was passed in the legislature on October 27th, 2025, to end the teachers’ strike by imposing a collective agreement and legislating teachers back to work. The use of the rarely utilized notwithstanding clause, which permits the government to suspend certain rights guaranteed in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms has resulted in a sudden end to the 2025 Alberta teacher’s strike.

For speech‑language pathologists and audiologists in schools, this will likely mean sudden schedule changes, assessment and therapy backlogs, and extra administrative coordination as schools reintegrate staff and students; privately contracted clinicians who work with schools may face referral delays and altered communication routes as the backlogs are worked through.

SAC will continue to monitor the situation and provide our members with relevant updates.

The 2025 Federal Budget marks a return to fiscal restraint, emphasizing infrastructure, capital investment, workforce stabilization and new criteria for the use of health transfers. Several of the items included in the Budget create important advocacy opportunities for speech-language pathologists (S-LPs), audiologists, and communication health assistants (CHAs).

Canada Health Act Clarification: A Pivotal Policy Shift

A major development for the professions is the newly announced Canada Health Act (CHA) Services Policy, which takes effect April 1, 2026. The policy clarifies that provinces and territories must ensure public insurance coverage for “medically necessary physician-equivalent services” delivered by other regulated health professionals.

This federal interpretation, enforced through the Canada Health Transfer (CHT), provides a powerful advocacy tool for S-LPs, audiologists and CHAs to pursue provincial inclusion of essential communication, hearing, and swallowing services within publicly funded care. SAC will continue to engage with partners to ensure this policy translates into meaningful access improvements for Canadians.

Health Workforce and Credential Recognition

To address ongoing health human resource (HHR) shortages, the Budget introduces a Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR) Action Fund, providing $97 million over five years starting in 2026–27. This fund aims to streamline the licensing process for internationally trained professionals in healthcare and other in-demand fields.

SAC welcomes this investment but emphasizes that domestic recruitment and retention remain critical. We continue to call on the federal government to:

• expand the Canada Student Loan Forgiveness Program to include S-LPs and audiologists;
• invest in graduate training capacity and student placement supports; and
• prioritize S-LPs, audiologists, and CHAs in national health workforce planning efforts.

Access to Care and Equity Initiatives

Budget 2025 commits $115.7 million over four years to reduce costs for Canadians applying for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), a measure that will directly benefit clients, by providing compensation to professionals who are authorized to certify impairments related to speaking and hearing, such as S-LPs and audiologists.

The Budget also confirms continued funding for Jordan’s Principle through 2025–26, safeguarding access to vital services for First Nations children. SAC continues to advocate for:

• increased federal investment in Indigenous-led speech and hearing health initiatives; and
• expanded telehealth and mobile clinic programs to reach remote and underserved communities.

Research and Innovation Ecosystem

Budget 2025 reinforces Canada’s commitment to research and innovation with a $1.7 billion International Talent Attraction Strategy and $5 billion Health Infrastructure Fund, alongside targeted investments in life sciences and commercialization. These initiatives have the potential to advance evidence-based care and health system sustainability.

SAC will continue to monitor the implementation of these measures and advocate for policies that strengthen access to communication and hearing care across Canada.

This July, SAC-Saskatchewan Regional Advocacy Manager met with Mark Wyatt, Assistant Deputy Minister of Advanced Education, along with representatives from the University of Saskatchewan (U of S), the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), the Ministry of Health (MOH), and the Ministry of Advanced Education (MOAE). The discussion focused on supporting clinicians supervising students on clinical placements in preparation for the new speech-language pathology program at the U of S, set to open in September 2026.

Several approaches to strengthen placement capacity were highlighted during the meeting. The SHA reported that funding has been secured for an S-LP Preceptor Coordinator to manage placement requests across the authority. We emphasized that clinicians already carry heavy caseloads and that management-level support will be critical during the early stages of placements, when supervision demands are highest. Potential incentives to support preceptors discussed included daily clinical rate payments, continuing education, and professional development opportunities.

Representatives from the U of S shared updates on ongoing stakeholder meetings with health, education, and private practice partners. They also noted housing challenges for students in rural and remote areas, with virtual placements being considered as one possible solution.

SAC also raised the need for student housing supports to improve access to placements in underserved regions. ADM Wyatt committed to connecting SAC with the Ministry of Education to explore school-based placement opportunities. Additionally, the Ministries of Health and Advanced Education will explore involving private employers to expand clinical placement capacity beyond the SHA.