In advance of the upcoming federal election, Autism Ontario has joined with our fellow provincial and territory autism organizations and crafted a letter that was sent this week to the federal party leaders:

The Provincial-Territorial Autism Network (P-TAN) is a united group of autism organizations. Together, P-TAN represents more than half a million Autistic Canadians plus their families across the country.

On behalf of our vast Canadian autism community, we are reaching out to all major federal parties to seek clarity on their commitment to improving the quality of life of Autistic Canadians and their families through the implementation of a National Autism Strategy.

In December 2019, the federal government announced its endorsement for the development of Canada’s first ever National Autism Strategy. This announcement brought renewed hope to Autistic Canadians and their families as they anticipated decisive federal action to address the critical gaps in autism supports and services across the country.

However, P-TAN and our greater autism community are now concerned with the lack of movement for the development of this strategy. While we are aware the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences is leading assessments to inform the federal government on the creation of this national strategy, the autism community is weary of being studied and needs concrete action to improve their quality of life. Currently, every province and territory is struggling to meet the growing needs of their autism community across the lifespan, and the issues are growing every day.

On behalf of the Canadian Autistic community, we ask: will your government commit to investing in the necessary development of a National Autism Strategy, and provide a concrete timeline to have this strategy implemented by 2023?

Before August 31st, we respectfully request a response on how the above question will be addressed if your Party wins a mandate in the upcoming federal election. P-TAN’s collective membership has requested that we publish your responses on our online platforms for constituents.

P-TAN looks forward to your response and collaborating with the federal government to provide Canadians on the autism spectrum with the support and services they deserve.

Sincerely,