The  Canadian Infant Hearing Task Force (CIHTF) has released their 2019 Report Card on the status of early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) programs in Canada at a press conference on Parliament Hill. The 2019 EHDI Report Card exposes an alarming disparity in the hearing health services available to infants and children in Canada. The new report card also reveals that little has changed since the CIHTF’s 2014 EHDI Report Card, with Canada once again receiving an overall grade of “insufficient.”

Provincial and Territorial Results

While the CIHTF is pleased to report that Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Yukon have improved from insufficient in 2014 to a sufficient grade in 2019, they are disappointed to report that more than half of the provinces and territories in Canada have received an insufficient grade. In the case of two provinces (New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island), their overall grade fell from sufficient in 2014 to insufficient in 2019.

Using the Resources

We encourage members and associates to share these resources with their colleagues, other health professionals, policy-makers and community leaders to raise awareness and advocate for comprehensive EHDI programs across Canada.

Read the 2019 EHDI Report Card, and see the Press Conference.

The Canadian Infant Hearing Task Force, a joint effort of the Canadian Academy of Audiology and Speech-Language & Audiology Canada, is a national group of leaders and experts in matters related to early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI). The task force was formed to promote, support and advocate for comprehensive universal EHDI programs in all Canadian provinces and territories. To learn more, please visit: InfantHearingCanada.ca.