News

Members’ Statement-Canadian Hearing Society Strike

Queen’s Park- This is a story about Ernest Guillemette. We first met at the ribbon cutting of the Canadian Hearing Society. He couldn’t hear, but his interpreter, Beth, was there to assist our conversation. He loved life. He loved to joke and he loved his Tim Hortons. He also loved to flirt with the ladies, and he rarely ever paid for those Tim Hortons.

Ernest died on April 16 at the age of 86. His friends came to my office last week—I knew them—and they told me the story of Ernest’s death. Although he was in the hospital, they felt that he died alone.

Now, I know the front-line health care workers at the North Bay Regional Health Centre did absolutely everything to make Ernest feel comfortable and safe as he went through his last struggle; that’s what they do, and they do a remarkable job. What was missing was his interpreter’s friendly face and familiarity.

Ernest was old school. He used old-school sign language with lots of nuances. But his interpreter is in her eighth week of the Canadian Hearing Society strike. There are only a few freelance interpreters for the entire north. The hospital did bring one in two or three days a week, but that’s very little interaction for someone of that age, hospitalized for five weeks, left with only their own thoughts going through their mind.

Speaker, I urge all parties to resolve this strike, as another death did occur in Thunder Bay and there are similar concerns in Sudbury.

Video: https://youtu.be/pWvPNoR-Diw