(View English/French in Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VZhzgiWarJ-UW79Ee3EEUZB9gM-OaBXXGjaCaUFIiDE/edit)

Dear Candidate,

The Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorder Alliance (CASDA) is an alliance of over 300 organizations, researchers, professionals, Autistic Canadians, and family members dedicated to the development and delivery of  a National Autism Strategy; a project we have been championing for over a decade.

In December 2019, the Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada announced a commitment to develop a National Autism Strategy (NAS). The NAS was mandated to the Minister of Health, led by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), and the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, to support its creation. In October 2020, the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) was selected to submit a scientific report on autism in Canada in preparation for the creation of the Strategy, which is scheduled to be submitted to PHAC in the winter of 2022.

Canada has the expertise, the determination and the research-at-the-ready to execute on a Strategy to make sure Autistic Canadians, and the family and friends who support them, have what they need to achieve the best possible quality of life.

To achieve this goal, we need strong, focused federal leadership with an unwavering commitment to bring provinces and territories together to develop a unified, cohesive and effective approach to equally provide best-in-class supports and resources to Autistic Canadians no matter their postal code.

We are now approaching the two year anniversary of when the development of a NAS was originally announced. With the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighting the major gaps in supports for Autistic Canadians, it’s clear that this Strategy is needed now more than ever.

It’s time to move from good intentions to realizing the promise of doing better. To do anything less would be a devastating indictment of the view Canadians have of ourselves.

We ask that you heed this call to action.

***By signing on to this letter, you pledge your support to move the implementation of the NAS forward following the submission of the CAHS report on autism.***

For more information, please visit https://www.casda.ca/working-together-to-advance-a-nas/, or reach out to our team for further discussion.