Bill C-327 (Historical)

Don Davies Vancouver Kingsway, BC

Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure as a member of Parliament, a Canadian citizen and a father to stand and speak and offer the full support of the New Democratic Party for Bill S-211. I also would like to congratulate my hon. colleague from Kitchener—Conestoga for bringing this bill forward from the Senate.

It is also a pleasure to speak to a bill that has the uniform support of all members of the House and, I dare say, of all parties of the House as we all join together in trying to shed some light and increase support for Canadian citizens and in fact anyone in the world who is touched by autism spectrum disorder.

I am particularly pleased about this because one of the first bills I introduced in the House when I was elected in 2008 was Bill C-327, An Act respecting a Canadian Autism Day. At that time I said I was proud to introduce legislation that would recognize the work of those involved in every aspect of this subject and as well to recognize those who are affected by autism in any manner, whether as a person who has the disorder or as a family member or friend of someone who does.

My bill would recognize, as this one does, the challenges faced by friends and families of people with this condition and in particular parents who raise an autistic child and all the special people who work with and advocate for them. It is only right and long overdue to mark and appreciate these challenges. At that time my bill sought to make April 23 world autism day and to make that a Canadian autism day. I am pleased to say this concept is being pushed forward as well and I join with all the members of the House who have done so much work on this.

The creation of a national or international autism day brings light and attention to those who fall on the autism spectrum and to those who tirelessly support a family member or friend. It reminds us that we require so much more in terms of funding for research, support and coverage under the Canada Health Act, which is long overdue.

We have heard a lot of very excellent descriptions of the technicalities of this disorder, so I will be brief on this, but of course autism spectrum disorder refers to the vast continuum of severity and developmental impairment of unknown origin. It is estimated that one in every 165 children is born with a type of ASD. There are approximately 200,000 Canadians estimated to be living with an ASD. I say ASD because, as my colleague from the Bloc just pointed out, there are different types of autism spectrum disorder ranging from autism to Asperger syndrome to pervasive developmental disorder of unknown origin.

The most common autism spectrum disorder is found in young boys. In fact it is four times more common in boys than in girls, and autism is not related to race, ethnicity, family income, lifestyle or parenting. There is no standard type or “typical” person with an autism spectrum disorder.

This disorder is marked by some very specific signs and, of course, people fall within a wide spectrum with this disorder, from people who are profoundly affected all the way to extremely high functioning individuals. ASD is marked by difficulty with social skills. Some people with ASD show no interest in other people whatsoever. Others might be interested but not know how to talk to, play with, or relate to others. Initiating and maintaining a conversation is usually difficult for people with ASDs. It is marked by problems with communication. Speech and language skills may begin to develop, may begin late and then be lost, may develop more slowly or in fact may never develop.

Without appropriate intensive early intervention, about 40% of children with ASDs do not talk at all. People with ASDs are often unable to interpret nonverbal communication such as social distance cues or the use of gestures and facial cues that most of us take for granted. There can be repeated behaviours and restricted interests. People with ASDs may have repeated ritualistic actions such as spinning, repeated rocking, staring, finger flapping and sometimes hitting themselves.

They may also have very restricted interests, talking about or focusing obsessively on only one thing, idea or activity. Their habits may seem odd to others. Small changes in the environment or in a daily routine that most people can manage might trigger acute distress.

There is an unusual response to sensations in many cases. People with ASD may have both auditory and visual processing problems. Although sensory problems vary in autism, this can occur from mild to severe levels with over and under sensitivities of all types.

Last, it is important to note that people with ASD often have very unique abilities. Some have an accurate and detailed memory for information and facts, high visual recall and a superb ability to manipulate data for useful purposes. They may be able to concentrate for long periods of time on particular tasks and be far more attentive to details than most of us.

We have heard a lot about the scientific and technical aspect, but I want to talk about the human aspect.

Outside my door in Vancouver Kingsway, I have noticed over the past several months a grandfather who walks by every day, pulling a wagon with a young girl in it. The young girl appears to be about five or six years old. I went out the other day and I brought a little Canadian flag to give to her. When I approached her, she turned away and was absolutely unable to interact with me at all. It quickly became apparent to me that this young girl obviously had ASD. I was so touched by the fact that her grandfather, every day without fail, would take her out into the community. It made me realize how much ASD is in our communities.

My youngest daughter, Cerys Davies, suffers from a global developmental delay. It is not autism. She has many friends because we have had to become part of a community of parents who have children with differences of all types, ranging from Down's Syndrome to autism to physical and mental challenges of all types.

We must remember that we cannot just focus on autism. We have to focus on all developmental disorders that affect children, including those that are of unknown origin and even those that defy diagnosis. Hundreds of thousands of children in Canada are going to school every day without support, whether from a health care point of view or an educational point of view or social support point of view. We have to broaden this to include all of those children.

I want to also point out that world-class research is being done in my riding on autism. Dr. Anthony Bailey had the very first endowed chair in the world researching autism. He is based out of Children's Hospital, where he does world-class research, particularly genetics in the autism field. There is absolute excitement and endless possibilities for what we could do for people with autism because of this kind of research. I commend Dr. Bailey for that.

I want to quote from an email I received this morning from Lenore Clemens, who lives in my riding. She said:

Thank you, we need so many more resources, especially for those who have not received a definitive diagnosis BUT still all have the same general problem. No definitive diagnosis that fits a funding box, no supports for families or those with disabilities even with the same need for resources & therapeutic interventions. Doctors often admit even when they, themselves, can't make a definite diagnosis therapies & supports are needed but not available. Another huge issue is government, like the BC Liberals, is removing eligibility for supports from legislation...This is especially parents and schools. And a reminder to the House: tax credits don't work for the poor.

Another person wrote and said:

—what's happening in the Community Living sector in BC. They're moving developmentally disabled people out of group homes (shutting those down) into “home shares” with people they find on Craigslist. CLBC has to cut $22 million this fiscal year.

The bottom line is we need to have therapy and support for everybody with autism and all development disorders from childhood right through to adulthood.

This shows that it is not enough to declare a world autism day, as laudable and important as that is. We need to vastly increase the funding for not only research, which I give credit to the government for doing, but also to ensure we have supports for families and children at an early age. It is well known that early intervention for children with autism, as with every developmental disorder, is key to helping those children obtain the best possible results. We need to ensure there is support in schools, support from doctors and social supports in our communities to get these people the help they deserve.

Don Davies Vancouver Kingsway, BC

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-327, An Act respecting a Canadian Autism Day.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce an act respecting national autism day. I am proud to introduce legislation that would recognize the work and struggles of those with autism.

It also would recognize the challenges faced by friends and families of people with this condition, in particular parents who raise an autistic child and all the special people who work with and advocate for them. It is right and overdue to mark and appreciate these challenges.

So much about autism remains to be discovered, and I know many in the House have called for additional funding for research, support and coverage under the Canada Health Act. I repeat that call today.

The creation of a national autism day will bring light and attention to those who fall on the autism spectrum and to those who tirelessly support a family member or friend with autism, people like Abbe and Lucas Gates, Patti Bacchus and Dawn Steele.

I ask all members to support the bill.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)