Question Period Note: AUTISM

The Government of Canada is committed to improving the health and well-being of autistic Canadians and to supporting caregivers. The Government is also committed to working collaboratively with provinces, territories, families, autistic Canadians, and stakeholders toward the creation of a national autism strategy.

• The Government of Canada is committed to helping and supporting the needs of all Canadians with disabilities, including neurodevelopmental conditions like autism, as well as those who care for them and provide much-needed support.
• Budget 2021 provided $15.4 million over two years, starting in 2021-22, to work collaboratively with provinces, territories, families and stakeholders toward the creation of a national autism strategy.
• Budget 2022 provided $20 million to the Ready, Willing and Able project to help Autistic persons or individuals with intellectual disabilities find employment. This is part of a larger commitment to invest an additional $272.6 million over five years, starting in 2022-2023, for the implementation of the Employment Strategy through the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities. This investment will help to address labour market shortages through increased participation by persons with disabilities including ASD and make workplaces more accessible and inclusive.
• The findings of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences’ engagement activities and scientific review will be used along with PHAC’s engagement with federal partners, provinces, territories, Indigenous Peoples, families and other stakeholders to inform the Government of Canada in the creation of a national autism strategy.

In the Minister of Health’s 2021 Mandate Letter, the Prime Minister asks the Minister to work in collaboration with provinces, territories, families and stakeholders, to accelerate the development of the national autism strategy. This reiterates the 2019 Mandate Letter commitment to work towards the creation of a national autism strategy.

Government of Canada Initiatives: the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is leading the development of a national autism strategy. A strategic decision was taken to provide $1.67 million to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) to undertake a neutral, arms-length assessment on autism.

The CAHS’ consultation process, launched in February 2021, was broad, inclusive, evidence-based and provided all Canadians the opportunity to inform the development of the strategy. In recognition of the breadth of issues to be considered to develop a strategy that reflects diverse needs, the CAHS applied a social determinants of health lens in their approach to gathering evidence and structuring the dialogue by focusing on 3 key themes: social inclusion, economic inclusion and evidence-based supports.

A thorough evidence and scientific review was conducted by the CAHS that included: published research, reports from government and organizations, best practices and Canadian and International policies.

The CAHS Autism Assessment Report was published on May 10, 2022. Their findings are divided into 3 key themes: social inclusion, economic inclusion and evidence-based supports and cut across multiple levels of government (federal, provincial and territorial) who are responsible for providing support for autistic Canadians. Overarching themes, including intersectionality and diversity were also identified.

The report can be found on the CAHS website and will be promoted on their social media, traditional media and meetings with some stakeholders. PHAC continues to engage with provinces, territories, and Indigenous Peoples, through a variety of mechanisms, regarding the national autism strategy. PHAC is organizing a national conference on November 15-16, 2022 to build consensus on the priorities for action towards a national autism strategy.

The Government of Canada will consider the CAHS report along with all other feedback received from federal partners, provinces, territories, Indigenous Peoples, families, and other stakeholders to create a strategy that improves the health and well-being of Autistic Canadians and their caregivers.

Budget 2021: the $15.4 million announced in Budget 2021 includes funding to support strategy development ($4.1 million), address gaps in autism spectrum disorder surveillance ($2.2 million), and assist with the development of IT infrastructure to support data collection ($0.7 million).

PHAC Investments: Budget 2018 provided $20 million over five years to support two new initiatives:
1) The Autism and Intellectual Disabilities Knowledge Exchange Network (AIDE Canada) ($10.9 million/5 years) provides access to online resources, including an inventory of services, supports, employment opportunities and local programming for families across the country. Six AIDE Canada locations across the country provide a point of access for Canadians to obtain resources and supports on autism. AIDE Canada also released a COVID-19 Resource Hub to share up-to-date, trusted information related to COVID-19 specifically tailored to, or relevant for, Canadians on the autism spectrum, their families and caregivers; and
2) The Autism Spectrum Disorder Strategic Fund is providing $9.1 million over 5 years for community-based projects that pursue innovative program models, help reduce stigma, and integrate health, social and educational components to better serve the complex needs of Autistic Canadians and their families.
PHAC provided $102,189 to the Canadian Paediatric Society to develop autism Guidelines for early detection and screening, diagnosis, and post-diagnosis follow-up (released October 2019).

PHAC Surveillance Activities: In support of the development of a national autism strategy, PHAC continues to enhance surveillance of autism spectrum disorder to provide evidence that informs future related investments and activities. PHAC is working with federal, provincial, territorial and Indigenous partners, researchers and autism stakeholders to enhance its autism surveillance activities through the development of new data and reporting on prevalence, including all jurisdictions, expanding to all age ranges (children, youth and adults), co-occurring conditions as well as other important demographic and equity indicators. On February 3rd 2022, PHAC released a report titled “Autism Spectrum Disorder – Highlights from the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth.” This report is one of the key commitments made as part of Budget 2021 to support the development of a national autism strategy. It provides new evidence on prevalence, health status and life experiences of Canadian children and youth with diagnosed ASD, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Budget 2022: PHAC is investing over $3.9 million over three years to support the collection of a second cycle of the Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth (CHSCY). Similar to the 2019 CHSCY, this second cycle of CHSCY will allow for further reporting on the prevalence and characteristics of autistic Canadian children and youth as well as, the wider impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and information regarding their pathway to diagnosis.

CIHR Investments: Over the last five years CIHR has invested approximately $68 million in research to increase our understanding of autism and to provide better services and supports to autistic Canadians and their caregivers.

This includes research on the development of innovative technologies for children with autism and their families. For instance, an interdisciplinary team led by Dr. Francois Bolduc from the University of Alberta is creating an artificial intelligence-based interactive ‘chatbot’ that will allow persons with autism (and other neurodevelopmental disorders), their families, health professionals and teachers to better navigate the healthcare system by identifying personalized interventions and resources through machine learning.

Dr. Lai at McGill University is exploring the relationship between research and policy, with the goal of improving how children (and their families) with ASD and other developmental brain-based conditions, access much-needed services and supports throughout their lifespan.

Through Canada’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research, CIHR and its partners are investing in CHILD-BRIGHT, an innovative pan-Canadian network that aims to improve life outcomes for children with brain-based developmental disabilities and their families. The network’s many projects include:
• “Ready 2 Work”, an online vocational/employment readiness platform developed alongside self-advocates who operate vocational programs for young people with autism; and
• “MEGA TEAM”, which is evaluating whether a take-home video game can improve executive functioning in children with autism.

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC): In April 2020, Minister Qualtrough established the COVID-19 Disability Advisory Group, to provide real-time expert advice on the lived experiences of persons with disabilities and ensure a disability-inclusive approach to the Government of Canada’s response to the pandemic, in keeping with a “Nothing Without Us” approach. The Advisory Group published a report in December 2020 outlining its recommendations and the Government’s actions to support persons with disabilities during the pandemic. With a renewed mandate, the Advisory Group is building on previous work and will continue to provide expert advice on disability inclusion within Government priorities and on implementation of Government programs and policies.

The December 2021 Government mandate letters reaffirmed the September 2020 Speech from the Throne commitment to bring forward Canada’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) to improve the economic inclusion and quality of life for Canadians with disabilities. As part of this action plan, the government is developing a robust Employment Strategy for persons with disabilities. This Strategy will take a holistic and intersectional view of the experiences of persons with disabilities in the workforce. It will include measures to expand access to skills training and opportunities for workers and entrepreneurs, while also supporting employers to create inclusive workplaces. A cornerstone of the Plan is the proposed new Canada Disability Benefit . The Plan will also include measures that support accessible and inclusive communities, and that advance the adoption of a modern approach to disability across the Government of Canada including a better process to determine eligibility for Government disability programs and benefits.

The DIAP will be iterative and updated over time. In engagement with the disability community, it will be built upon and refreshed, and grounded in the principle of “Nothing without Us”. It is a whole-of-government plan that crosses over departmental responsibilities.

Employment Support (through the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities Program): To improve employment outcomes for persons with intellectual disabilities and autism, the Government of Canada’s Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities has invested over $40 million since 2014-2015 in the Ready, Willing and Able (RWA) project. RWA is a national employment program for autistic persons and individuals with intellectual disabilities that is delivered through a partnership between Inclusion Canada (formerly the Canadian Association for Community Living) and the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorders Alliance. Over the same period, the program has invested over $13.3 million in skills training and employment projects targeting persons with ASD delivered by the Sinneave Family Foundation. Moreover, Budget 2022 provides an additional $272.6 million over five years, starting in 2022-2023 for the implementation of the Employment Strategy under the Opportunities Fund. This investment will help to address labour market shortages through increased participation by persons with disabilities including ASD and make workplaces more accessible and inclusive. Of these funds, $20 million is allocated to the RWA project to help persons with ASD or intellectual disabilities find employment

Senate Bill S-203 – An Act Respecting a Federal Framework for Autism Spectrum Disorder: On November 24, 2021, the Honourable Leo Housakos introduced in the Senate Bill S-203, An Act Respecting a Federal Framework on Autism Spectrum Disorder. The purpose of the Bill is to bring forth the development of a federal framework designed to support autistic Canadians, their families and their caregivers. The Bill outlines requirements for the development of a federal framework, including measures to be provided, such as financial support for autistic persons, support for caregivers, online resources and best practices, a national research network and a national awareness campaign. The Bill also sets out requirements for consultation, a national conference, and regular reporting to Parliament on implementation of the federal framework.

Bill Status: Bill S-203 was referred to Committee on December 8, 2021. On April 27, 2022, the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology (SOCI) passed the Bill (as amended during clause by clause consideration on April 6, 2022). On May 12, 2022, the Bill, as amended, was passed in the Senate and then referred to the House of Commons.

Provincial/Territorial Support: All provinces provide autism-specific funding for a range of services and supports with current investments focused on interventions, services and education supports for pre-school and school-aged children. While the three territories do not have any autism-specific funding, they do have supports for broader disability services, which includes autism.

Language Note: A “person-first” approach, which acknowledges the person before the disability is seen in wording such as “individuals with autism”. In “identity-first” language, you would see phrases such as “autistic Canadian”. The language used to describe an individual is personal. The Government of Canada acknowledges the diverse views of Autistic Canadians, their caregivers and the community as whole. It is encouraged to use an individual’s expressed preferred language whenever possible.

Key Facts
• Autism (also known as autism spectrum disorder or ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition. Every Autistic person has a unique combination of symptoms, symptom intensity and co-occurring conditions. Since everyone experiences the condition differently, supports should match individual needs.