Poilievre demands Canada-wide alert system after autistic Calgary boy found dead
Conservatives say missing vulnerable children shouldn't have to wait for suspected foul play before emergency alerts are issued.
Author: Alex Dhaliwal
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling for a Canada-wide emergency alert system for missing autistic and other vulnerable children after an 11-year-old non-verbal Calgary boy was found dead following a week-long search.
In a letter to Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski, Poilievre and Conservative MP Mike Lake say Canada’s emergency alert system should be triggered by a child’s vulnerability—not whether police suspect an abduction or other crime.
“The danger existed from the moment Parker went missing,” the pair wrote. “The alert system should have been able to respond from that moment.”
Parker, an 11-year-old boy with autism who was non-verbal, wandered away from his Calgary daycare home on Jul. 16. After an extensive search involving hundreds of police officers and volunteers, his body was found in an underground network of pipes beneath the city.
An Amber Alert was not issued until the second day of the search under a special exemption because Canada’s existing Amber Alert system is generally reserved for suspected child abductions.
Poilievre and Lake argue that leaves vulnerable children with autism and developmental disabilities at risk.
Citing Autism Canada, they note that nearly half of children with autism are prone to wandering and say current emergency alert rules are not designed for cases where a non-verbal child disappears without evidence of foul play.
“Whatever form the solution takes, the principle should be simple: the system must respond to the danger facing the child, not only to whether a crime is suspected,” they wrote.
The Conservatives are also calling for enhanced training for first responders and specialized search protocols for missing autistic, non-speaking and intellectually disabled children.
For Lake, the issue is deeply personal.
The Alberta MP, whose 30-year-old son Jaden is non-verbal and autistic, said every report of a missing autistic child immediately hits home.
“There’s a need to catch my breath a little bit because it hits close to home right away,” Lake told the Canadian Press in a phone interview..
He explained that while many autistic children have remarkable visual memory, they may struggle to recognize dangers such as traffic or bodies of water.
“So things like danger and understanding traffic, and dangers around water... are really difficult,” he said.
Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski said she has received the Conservatives’ letter and will meet with Lake next week to discuss the proposal.
While noting provinces and territories decide when emergency alerts are issued, Olszewski said the federal government remains committed to working with them to improve emergency communications and offered condolences to Parker’s family.
Parker’s death has also prompted parents to launch petitions calling for a dedicated emergency alert system for neurodivergent children.
Lake said his thoughts remain with Parker’s loved ones.
“My heart goes out to Parker and his family,” he said. “It’s been a tough couple of weeks.”
