Andy Scott,Began His Fight for A National Autism Strategy October 18, 2003; Canada Needs Another Andy Scott

Andy Scott at the Crowne Plaza, Fredericton, advocating for a National Autism Strategy as I looked on from the podium, Left,  on October 13, 2007. (Photo by Charles LeBlanc) Andy began his fight for a National Autism Strategy in Fredericton on October 18, 2003

Andy Scott began the fight for a National Autism Strategy for Canada in 2003 as set out below in an excerpt from my Facing Autism in NB blog, {Reporter Tali Folkens comments from the Telegraph Journal in italics):

"The struggle for a National Autism Strategy began many years ago including here in New Brunswick where Andy Scott issued a public call for a National Autism Strategy on October 18 2003:

""Fredericton MP Andy Scott said Saturday he has been lobbying prime- minister-to-be Paul Martin for a federal program to help young children with autism. "I desperately want a national autism strategy - and let me just assure you that Paul Martin knows it," Mr. Scott told supporters at a party celebrating his 10th anniversary as an MP in Fredericton Saturday evening.

Early work by therapists with young autistic children, Mr. Scott said, can make a big difference in their capacity to lead fulfilling lives as adults - and can save money in the long run. But the costs of starting such early intervention programs are high and should be borne directly by Ottawa rather than each individual province, he said. "We have responses and therapies and so on that I genuinely believe can work," he said. "You're going to save millions of dollars over the lifetime of an autistic adult. If you can get in at the front end, you can make enormous progress.

"But it's very expensive, and there's not a lot of stuff being added to Medicare, generally - that's why we have catastrophic drug problems and other things," he said. "In the province of New Brunswick, P.E.I., or even Quebec or Ontario it's very, very expensive. The feds are going to have to step up to the plate." "

Tali Folkins, Telegraph Journal, October 20, 2003"

Andy Scott joined forces with Nova Scotia NDP MP Peter Stoffer and the two of them obtained the passing of a private members motion calling for a National Autism Strategy in 2006 which called for a National Autism Strategy with specific objectives:

Motion M-172, as passed by the House of Commons on Tuesday, 

December 5, 2006.

That, in the opinion of the House, the government should create 

a national strategy for autism spectrum disorder that would include:

a) the development, in cooperation with provincial/territorial  

governments, of evidence based standards for the diagnosis and 

treatment of autism spectrum disorder;

b) development, in cooperation with provincial governments,

 of innovative funding methods for the care of those with 

autism spectrum disorder;

(c) consulting with provincial/territorial governments and

 other stakeholders on the requirements of implementing a national
surveillance program for autism spectrum disorders; and

(d) the provision of additional federal funding for health research
into autism spectrum disorder.

British Columbia, which in many ways was the birthplace of Canadian autism advocacy with the Auton court proceedings, stepped up to the plate again in 2016 with the Liberal Party of Canada  Winnipeg Convention South Surrey-White Rock Resolution E-03 which called for Medicare Coverage for the Treatment of Autism and which was passed overwhelmingly by the National Liberal Party including support from prominent Liberal Bob Rae but was given the stiff arm by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who has simply refused to act in government to implement his own National  Liberal Party's Resolution calling for Medicare Coverage for Treatment of Autism: 

There are Liberals and then there are Liberals. Andy Scott was renowned in New Brunswick for fighting for social causes including autism treatment and services. 

Photo of PM Justin Trudeau Above by Harold L Doherty, January 17, 2017 in Fredericton where he brushed off my attempt to ask him a question. I had intended to ask him about the Winnipeg National Liberal Party Resolution calling for Medicare Coverage for Autism. Medicare for Autism NOW! Excutive Directors Jean Lewis and David Marley sent a detailed Open Letter to the PM on April 2, 2017 and got a prompt reply from some unknown individual although it was not from the PM or anyone in his office.  .It appears the PM has no intent to act on the Medicare Coverage for Autism Resolution passed by the National Liberal Party in Winnipeg in 2016.

PM Justin Trudeau unfortunately does not appear to give a hoot about persons with autism disorders or their families as I saw personally in Fredericton when I was handed a microphone only to be waved off by PM Justin Trudeau and the mike passed to another person who read from a script which appeared to have been pre-approved by the local Liberals present.

I don't know if Andy Scott was still with us if he could make a difference in pushing the Justin Trudeau Liberal government to enact a Real National Autism Strategy. Given Trudeau's cold shoulder ignorance of WPG Resolution E-03 the answer is probably no. Trudeau just doesn't care and is willing to ignore the will of his own Liberal Party.