Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thanks, Mike, for being here, and for laying the groundwork for a conversation about this. I've been here since 2011. You've been here longer. Ever since I've been here, you've been talking about the needs for autism. Really, awareness is probably the most important thing, but that's backed up with this question: Now what?
Diagnosis is one big part of that. Once you're diagnosed, then what? Parents want to know what to do with a child of theirs who they love and happens to have autism of some sort along the spectrum, whether they're higher functioning or lesser functioning.
I know you're dealing with this first-hand with your son. I really like what you're doing in the bill, but I think what matters to you and matters to us is outcomes. It's nice to have a pretty bill with a bow on it, but you want it to function. You want it to work.
I'm going to dig down into some of the terminology:
Measures to be provided
timely and equitable access
financial support
support for caregivers
and
a national research network
I know you're limited in what a private member's bill can actually do. I know. What does “timely and equitable access” mean? What does it mean to you? That's my specific question. What does “financial support” mean to you? What does “support for caregivers” mean to you? What does “national research network” mean to you?
I'll end my preamble. I've seen what you've done in B.C. You've always been an advocate for funds for local and provincial entities, but you've faced headwinds. I saw it in 2016 and 2017. You asked the government for about $20 million to fund autism across the country in a network, and it didn't make it into the budget. This needs to be backed with some kind of action for this work.
I'll get back to my questions. What does “timely and equitable access” mean? What does “financial support” mean? What does “support for caregivers” mean? Those are three simple questions. What do they mean to you?