Good morning. My name is Richard Burelle, and I am the executive director of the Autism Society of Canada.

Madam Chair, committee members, Senator, members of Parliament, and guests, I want to thank you for allowing me to represent Autism Society Canada as we give our wholehearted support to Bill S-206, An Act respecting World Autism Awareness Day.

Last night I sat down, pen in hand, ready to make some notes about what I wanted to speak to you about today regarding our support for Bill S-206. I gathered my notes—they're all right here beside me—including the number of committees the ASC has; the challenges and successes we have gone through; the news on advances we have made at the federal level; and the list of hurdles that are still ahead.

But I hesitated, because what I really want to talk to you about is people. I especially want to talk to you about family members and caregivers, those very people who are challenged on a daily basis to support and care for loved ones living with an ASD, an autism spectrum disorder.

Let me share with you a story. A little while ago, Autism Society Canada received a memorial donation for someone who had, I suspected, wanted to send a gift to a charity in lieu of flowers. We're always appreciative of those who think of us at a time that must be extremely difficult.

The next day we received a few more donations in memory of the same person. Her name was Susan.

A couple of days passed, and yet a few more memorial donations came in for Susan.

This is not totally uncommon. Our organization may receive quite a few gifts in memoriam during the course of a year. However, I thought to myself that Susan must have been a pretty special person to have so many friends and family members who cared about her. I felt as if Susan herself was sending us all her flowers.

As is often the case with memorial gifts to national organizations, I normally do not know the deceased personally, and I'm often unaware of their connection to Autism Society Canada. This case would be different.

A couple of weeks after that first memorial gift, I received a letter from Jan, who is Susan's mother. She wrote to me to tell me about Susan.

You see, Susan was the mother of a child living with an autism spectrum disorder. Jan told me about how Susan fought for five years with her local school board to get her child in an appropriate class. She told me how Susan's child did not have friends at school, nor in the neighbourhood. She told me how Susan felt: that she had failed as a mother and as an advocate for other children with autism. Jan told me that Susan had taken her own life.

Losing Susan should not have happened.

I have chosen to recount this tragedy, which is an extreme case, to illustrate a point. There's a misnomer out there that autism is not deadly. I would beg to differ. Autism awareness is clearly lacking.

I applaud Bill S-206, An Act respecting World Autism Awareness Day, which by definition takes on this issue. Ignorance of autism can no longer be an excuse.

For Canada, this act is essential to support the many autism organizations striving to work together on behalf of individuals living with an autism spectrum disorder and their caregivers across this great country.

Bill S-206 also gives Canada a unique opportunity to demonstrate leadership in this area to the international community.

In closing, I would like to reaffirm the need to raise awareness on autism spectrum disorders so that tragedies like Susan's never reoccur.

Autism Society Canada has a broad reach. Our member societies work in direct contact with families, caregivers, individuals living with an ASD, across this country. Our societies inform us that access to services from one province to another is indeed unequal. There exist glaring gaps in treatment and resources across this country. We believe it is time for this to be addressed. We believe it is time for a national autism strategy in Canada.

Madam Chair, I would like to thank you and members of this committee for your invitation to be present today. I would also like to thank you, Senator Munson, for your unwavering dedication to pursuing Canada's full support of World Autism Awareness Day.

Thank you very much.

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