Parents not stakeholders

An open letter to MP Russ Hiebert.

Happy anniversary. While the significance of this date may have escaped you, it was exactly one year ago today that we met.

Having never spoken to a politician before in my life, I naively wandered into a room full of strangers after receiving your letter in the mail inviting constituents to meet you for coffee. I was nervous but hopeful.

The subject of children came up and that was my cue. My voice began to crack and tears welled up in my eyes as I showed you photos of my then three-year-old son and tried to explain the difficulties of raising a child who has autism.

I asked you if anyone in the federal government cared about the plight of Canadian children like my son. You assured me that you and your party did. And you told me to wait for a big announcement coming up from the federal government.

I waited...

That “big announcement” stated that a website on autism was being established – yippee! – and that a “stakeholders” symposium would be held.

Fast forward one year.

Following many contacts with you and your staff, I have not received one single meaningful response.

I have asked for an explanation as to why families are not exempt from the GST when paying for behaviour consultant services. I am still waiting for that explanation.

I asked for your support for Bill C304 which would have entrenched my son’s right to his medically necessary treatment. You voted against it.

I practically begged for the opportunity to attend the stakeholders’ symposium, not realizing that your government did not consider a lowly parent such as me to be important enough to attend.

Apparently someone in your office will “get back to me asap” on that. Oops, too late. That symposium took place earlier this month.

Gosh, I am starting to get the feeling that you’re not taking this too seriously. Well, rest assured that I do take the health, well-being and rights of my son and other disabled Canadians very seriously.

So here’s a whacky idea: why not actually represent your constituents and demonstrate some leadership for a worthwhile cause at the same time?

Instead of trying to ignore this public health crisis, why not actually do something. If it was your child, what would you do?

Louise Witt, Surrey