Hill Life & People
Interpreter injuries spike due to virtual Parliament, prompt calls for quality controls
By Samantha Wright Allen May 6, 2020
'We are getting too close to our worst-case scenario,' says CAPE, the union representing staff interpreters on Parliament Hill.
Before Parliament’s first special sitting, House Speaker Anthony Rota urged MPs to get training to participate in virtual meetings. The House says it’s ‘working closely’ with MPs to make sure they have the right equipment. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
With subpar equipment and spotty connectivity, Parliament’s virtual meetings have compromised the quality of interpretation and led to a rise in workplace injuries reported by interpreters, according to two groups representing parliamentary interpreters.
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