What to expect, and what you might not expect at the March 7 Autism Protest
The March 7 autism protest is gearing up to be a big one with more than a 1,300 saying they’re going, and another 3,000 saying they’re interested. That’s big. I’m mean REALLY BIG.
In 2016 the two #AutismDoesntEndAt5 protests at Queen’s Park felt big for all of us there, and it certainly got substantial media coverage, but the size was in the low hundreds.
The size of tomorrow’s protest is kudos to a well-organized online community that really hasn’t stopped growing it’s presence since the 2016 protests.
It’s that organization that saw protests outside PC MPPs offices so quickly after the announced autism changes on February 6. On February 8 I couldn’t believe the substantial presence protesting outside of Lisa MacLeod’s office. It was nuts!
Very early tomorrow morning, hundreds of outraged parents will board buses from all corners of the province. It’s impressive to see so many parents, family, friends, neighbours, and professionals that work with the autism community, make the commitment to be at Queen’s Park to send a loud message to this government.
For those that are attending Question Period, a few things to be aware of if you haven’t attended before.
First thing, you can’t bring your protest signs into the building, nor do they have an area for you to store your signs. So, you’ll have to think about where you leave your signs. In 2016 what many did was put their sign under a tree outside the legislature.
Second thing, you can’t bring your cell phone into the Legislative Chamber. You must check this in with your coat and other personal items, or if you’re a guest of an MPP, they sometimes let you store your items in their offices.
Third thing, how the legislature works, with all it’s rules may surprise you. In many ways, the politicians are a bunch of actors during Question Period. The members are typically “whipped” into supporting whatever stance their party takes, regardless of how they personally feel. The Ford Government is known to be particularly punitive to MPPs who fall out of line. So, expect the same old, same old from Lisa MacLeod, and except her fellow MPPs to provide applause in support. This may drive you nuts as you see your local PC MPP supporting MacLeod’s script. You’re not allowed to yell out at the MPPs, but it happens anyways. If that happens, they’ll simply escort you out. In 2016 at the end of the session, many of us gave the Liberal MPPs quite an earful, and the Legislative staff totally let it go. It was something else. I remember it like it was yesterday because it was so emotionally charged — BIG TIME!
One thing is for sure, emotions will be high as opposition parties read our stories, followed by MacLeod saying she’s proud of her plan. I’m not sure what the Vegas odds are on Monique Taylor being ejected for speaking the truth, but I’m betting heavy on her getting the ouster. It’s all good, she’ll get the love from the community for doing that.
Just attending the protest? Well expect to meet a lot of great folks all wanting the same thing, for our kids to get the services based upon their needs. The media will be aplenty.
But here’s something you may not be expecting, and I’m totally speculating here, but it’s possible that there will be some fake protesters. Seriously! I know, I know, Conservative media tried to say the parents of autistic children were “professional protesters”, Lisa MacLeod even retweeted the allegation. I can tell you this, I’ve been to all 5 protests outside of Lisa MacLeod’s office, and I try to talk to as many people as I can, and these are parents, friends, family, and those that work with our kids. We’ve had some politicians from the NDP and Liberals show up, but by all accounts, there were no professional protesters.
But back to my speculation on the fake protesters. Why might I think this? Well that’s exactly what the Doug Ford campaign did during the May 7, 2018 leader’s debate. Remember that? Take a look at the article below. All those “Ford supporters” were actually actors paid to “support” Ford! So will we see team “Thank-you Lisa” at the protest? At this point, with all the antics we’ve seen from the government, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least!
