e-7643

Petition to the Government of Canada

Whereas:

Many children with autism and functional capacity limitations are prone to wandering, and many autistic, non-speaking, or otherwise vulnerable children face immediate life-threatening risks when they go missing, even without evidence of abduction or foul play;
Current emergency alert criteria are primarily designed for suspected abductions and often prevent or delay public alerts until special exemptions are granted;
Parents and advocacy groups have called for reform so that the system responds to the danger facing the child rather than solely to whether a crime is suspected; and
There is an urgent need for the creation of a national framework for timely public alerts when vulnerable children go missing, strengthened first-responder training and search protocols, and clear authority for police to issue immediate warnings when a vulnerable child’s life may be at risk.

We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to:

1. Immediately convene provincial and territorial governments, law enforcement, families, and relevant organizations to create a Canada-wide framework that allows timely public alerts when autistic, non-speaking, special-needs, or otherwise vulnerable children go missing, even when abduction or foul play is not suspected;

2. Strengthen first-responder training and search protocols specifically for missing autistic and non-speaking children, and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities; and

3. Ensure police have clear authority and the necessary tools to warn the public immediately when a vulnerable child’s life may be at risk, so that bureaucratic rules never cost precious time as every minute counts in protecting Canada’s most vulnerable children.

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