My autistic adult son Conor's future and Corrupt Politics are on my mind. Adults with severe autism are sent to Liberal MLA Don Arseneault's Campbellton NB/Que riding far from their families in much more heavily populated south and far from Fredericton based autism expertise. Campbellton is rapidly shrinking and mental health and autism patients are sent there out of sight, out of mind to try and re-build the Campbellton economy.
As tweeted by former Liberal Health Minister Mike Murphy and subsequently reported by CBC reporter Matthew Bingley:
"As a former minister of health I can tell you how hard it is to get specialists to go to our urban centres versus Toronto — let alone Campbellton," wrote Murphy in one of a series of tweets that suggested the Gallant government was putting "politics first, kids second" with the decision.
Murphy blamed the decision on Liberal party politics and pointed to his former cabinet colleague Donald Arseneault as the likely source of the decision. Arseneault is the current minister of energy and mines and represents the riding of Campbellton-Dalhousie in the legislature.
Arseneault made the actual announcement in Campbellton on Saturday, rather than Health Minister Victor Boudreau.
"Power of Donald Arseneault is evident by this," tweeted Murphy. "The location away from family for most young patients may only aggravate the condition. But this government is intensely political."
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