Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak to Bill S-211, An Act respecting World Autism Awareness Day, as I did on November 23, 2009, when we debated Bill S-210 at second reading. In fact, this is a carbon copy of the same bill. Today, I will be reminding the House of our party's position.
First of all, the Bloc Québécois supports the principle of the bill. However, we believe that some elements of the preamble contravene the constitutional rights of Quebec and the provinces. Although health care is an important issue for all Canadians, we must never lose sight of the fact that it is an area of jurisdiction belonging to Quebec and the provinces, as established by the Constitution. I would also like to reiterate that the federal government entered into an agreement with Quebec in 2004 which recognized Quebec's responsibility for this sector.
The special agreement with Quebec, which the federal government pompously referred to as an asymmetric agreement, recognized that health care is within the jurisdiction of the Quebec government and that Quebec is not accountable to Ottawa but to Quebeckers. Consequently, it is natural for Quebec to make decisions about its priorities, which may differ from those of Canada, in order to meet the needs of our nation.
The bill being debated today would designate April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day. This initiative follows the decision by the UN which, in 2008, proclaimed April 2 to be World Autism Day in order to encourage families affected by this illness to seek the services to which they are entitled. Quebec has an autism day in April and Canada has one in October.
We are not concerned today with whether or not Bill S-211 is a good measure or not, because we must do all that is required to support those suffering from autism and their families. My reservations concern some of the elements that indicate the legislator's intent to subtly insinuate itself into a jurisdiction belonging to Quebec and the provinces.
First, we propose to delete lines 13 to 16 of the preamble, which state, “Whereas Canadian families affected by autism spectrum disorders have unequal access to services across the country”. That would respect Quebec's and the provinces' jurisdiction over health care.
That is also why I think it is inappropriate to read, “Whereas Canada has no national strategy to address autism spectrum disorders”.
Since we consider national health strategies, or Canada-wide strategies, to be encroachments on an area of jurisdiction belonging to Quebec and the provinces, we want this paragraph to be withdrawn.
As we have seen in other areas, a Canada-wide strategy could thwart the efforts made by Quebec in this regard by trying to standardize the practices involved. If the government decides to go ahead and impose a plan from coast to coast to coast, Quebec and the provinces will have to have the right to opt out with full compensation and no strings attached.
Except for these reservations, the Bloc Québécois is in favour of Bill S-211. Since autism spectrum disorders affect more and more children around the world, it is important for families to have access to a growing number of services. The origin of and treatments for this disease are still not fully understood, making research into improving life for those with autism spectrum disorders even more necessary.
A World Autism Awareness Day is needed, not only to raise awareness about this complex syndrome, but also to encourage the public to contribute to improving the quality of life of thousands of families. It should be noted that Quebec has had an action plan for people with autism since 2003.
Around that time, the Government of Quebec published a report entitled “Un geste porteur d'avenir--Des services aux personnes présentant un trouble envahissant du développement, à leurs familles et à leurs proches” about services for people with pervasive developmental disorders, or PDDs, and their families.
Quebec decided to focus on the importance of offering more quality services and facilitating access to those services by creating organizations to provide services to people with pervasive developmental disorders in each region of Quebec. There are now 16 regional associations working to help these people and their families.
I would like to list these organizations, which are committed to helping people who really need help: Autisme Québec, Autisme Mauricie, Autisme et TED Centre-du-Québec, Société de l'autisme et des TED de l'Estrie, Action autisme et TED Haute-Côte-Nord Manicouagan, Association Nord-côtière de l'autisme et des troubles envahissants du développement, Société de l'Autisme--Région Lanaudière, Trait d'Union Outaouais, Société de l'autisme des Laurentides, Société de l'autisme et des autres troubles envahissants du développement de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Association régionale Autisme et TED Montérégie, Nouvel Essor--Volet autisme-TED pour la région de Chaudière-Appalaches, Association de l'autisme et des autres TED de l'Est-du-Québec, Société de l'autisme--Région Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Société de l'autisme et des TED de Laval, and Autisme et troubles envahissants du développement de Montréal.
At this point, I would like to describe the condition in more technical detail. Autism spectrum disorders and pervasive developmental disorders affect about 60 children in 10,000. In 1980, that figure was 10 in 10,000. The incidence among boys is four times higher than that among girls. According to the international community, the rapid increase in pervasive developmental disorders is now considered a growing global crisis.
Although the number of autism cases is skyrocketing around the world, there are still many questions about the extent to which higher rates of diagnosis are related to changes in the way people with the condition are identified and categorized.
According to the Fédération québécoise de l'autisme et des autres troubles envahissants du développement, PDD comprises five disorders: autism, childhood disintegrative disorder, Asperger syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified, which includes atypical autism, and Rett syndrome. PDDs usually manifest in early childhood as communication, socialization and learning disorders and dysfunction involving the five senses due to neurological and chemical problems. Each case must be treated individually on the basis of personalized clinical assessments. There is no miracle cure, although some have experienced significant improvement using a variety of educational and psychological methods.
It appears that research on this subject must continue before we can fully understand the causes of autism, which is known for its complex nature. We must give researchers in this area an environment conducive to its study.
The Bloc Québécois is calling on the federal government to substantially increase research budgets and to transfer this money to Quebec and the provinces so they can better support university research chairs, for example. Whether it is basic or clinical health research, it falls under Quebec and provincial jurisdiction.
In closing, I would like to come back to a point I raised earlier, namely that in Quebec, April is Autism Month. With a theme such as “The many faces of autism”, it is an ideal time to raise awareness and inform the public. It is also an opportunity to break the taboos that continue to prevent those who are affected from integrating into society. Quebec singer Nicola Ciccone is a spokesperson. Many awareness activities are organized throughout Quebec for the occasion, from art exhibits to speeches by adults with autism.
On April 24, 2010, in a party-like atmosphere, the march for autism was held in 11 regions and drew 3,000 people, which is twice as many as the previous year. The sixth annual march will be held next April 30 and marches will be organized throughout Quebec. I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to all the staff and volunteers who work to make this event a success, who are raising funds to help young people with autism attend a special day camp in summer 2011.
