Honourable senators, while October is Autism Awareness Month in Canada, April is World Autism Acceptance Month. The emphasis on acceptance is an important distinction, especially as we move forward with a national autism framework and strategy in Canada.

Acceptance starts with awareness but goes much deeper. It is not just about knowing or understanding that an individual is neurodivergent but also ensuring these individuals have access to resources to reach their full potential in various aspects of their lives, from childhood to adulthood.

A great example of this is taking place at Giant Steps School in Montreal, where staff work hard to ensure that services provided to youth and adult students are inclusive and respond to their individual needs, while also integrating research and broader support for the community.

Support will look different for every person on the autism spectrum, but improving the quality of life for each and every autistic person in this country will not only benefit the individual and those closest to them but also society as a whole.

I am hopeful that we will soon see something from the government in accordance with the requirements of the law. I can’t stress enough the importance of not just kicking the can down the road. It has been more than 15 years since the Senate released its report on the need for a federal framework and strategy entitled Pay Now or Pay Later: Autism Families in Crisis.

It has been eight years since the current government promised a strategy on autism and five years since doing so was included in the Minister of Health’s mandate letter. It has been two years since the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences published its autism assessment report, commissioned by the Public Health Agency of Canada and providing a comprehensive picture of the needs and realities of autistic people in Canada.

With that, I hope as many of you as possible will join us this afternoon for a round table with the Autism Alliance of Canada, whom some of you know as CASDA. They’ll be providing an update on the measures within the Federal Framework on Autism Spectrum Disorder Act. I would also like to invite all of you, colleagues, to a reception at the Sir John A. Macdonald Building this Wednesday at 6 p.m., where you can meet the Autism Alliance of Canada and stakeholders from across the country who would be more than happy to have the sympathetic ear of a parliamentarian on this issue.

I want to thank them all for their great work and wish them a wonderful conference this week in Ottawa, and I thank you, colleagues, for your ongoing support on this very important issue.