Mr. Speaker, let me say what it is the government is trying to do. In the previous government, we had a program that was the foundation to start the journey and be successful. The current government is providing funding. Through the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the Government of Canada has invested more than $39 million in autism research over five years. I commend the previous government, and I acknowledge that the current government is continuing to do that. The investment contributes to providing the research and evidence needed for the development of new tools.
We also invested $8 million in 2015-16 in ASD research and invested another $5.3 million in 2016 for research at the Hospital for Sick Children.
We now are entering the second phase, which is providing new funding. The third piece of the puzzle is collecting information so we can ensure that going forward, the funds are properly allocated, and the programs evolve working with the provinces and territories.