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As thousands of people flocked to Queen’s Park to protest Doug Ford’s cuts to autism services and demand better, NDP Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath and the New Democrat MPPs joined them — both outside at a rally, and inside Queen’s Park, where the NDP raised the stories of children with autism throughout question period.
“All any parent wants is to ensure the best for their kids,” said Horwath. “Doug Ford is forcing them to consider packing up and moving, mortgaging the house, or selling their possessions to afford the therapy their kids need.”
“Families have been here before, fighting Liberal cuts that would have ripped autism services away from kids on their sixth birthday. Doug Ford promised parents of children with autism they wouldn’t have to protest on his watch — but instead of making it better, he made it much, much worse. Now, here we are again, with desperate parents protesting in front of Queen’s Park to save their children’s futures.”
Today in question period MDP MPPs from all over the province stood to share the stories brought to them by families of children with autism. Catherine Fife, NDP MPP for Waterloo, shared a letter written by seven-year-old Lily, who wanted Doug Ford to know how wrong it is to rip support away from her twin brother Landon. Lily wrote that she loves Landon, and doesn’t want his opportunity to keep learning to be taken away. Peggy Sattler, NDP MPP for London West, spoke of 11-year-old Felix, who has not only received an autism diagnosis, but has battled cancer, in his short life so far. Felix’s mom, Lindsay Frechette, told Sattler that Felix would not have survived if he had been given a budget for cancer treatment and told that he would be cut off when his funding ran out — but that’s exactly what he’s being told about his autism therapy.
Horwath said New Democrats won’t drop the issue until the program is fixed.
“Families persevered against the Liberal cuts to autism programming, and they will persevere now,” said Horwath. “Children with autism deserve so much better than to be left out in the cold by their government, again and again.”
The NDP supports investing in an evidence-based and needs-based approach to autism funding, giving kids the services and supports they require based on need, not age.
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