Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Canada's speech-language pathologists, audiologists and support personnel as they honour Speech and Hearing Month.
Each year the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists dedicates the month of May to raising public awareness about speech, language and hearing disorders in Canada and the professionals who can help.
Too often we take our ability to communicate for granted, especially in this place, yet the ability to speak, hear and be heard is much more central to our lives than most of us realize. Alarmingly, one in ten Canadians suffers from such disorders.
Throughout the month of May, the more than 6,000 members of the CASLPA will be highlighting the importance of early identification and intervention to overcome disorders which affect speech, language and hearing. Whether working with a child with autism, an adult with a hearing impairment or an elderly person recovering from a stroke, CASLPA's goal is to help people speak well, hear well and live well.
I invite my colleagues in the House to join Canada's speech-language pathologists and audiologists in celebrating Speech and Hearing Month.