Just as the smoke from Victoria Day fireworks had cleared, NDP leader Andrea Horwath confirmed her party’s support for the Liberals’ fizzling 2013 budget.

“When the Liberals presented their draft budget, we asked Ontarians what they thought,” she told reporters. “Some said they wanted an election immediately, others said they didn’t feel an election was necessary right now. But what most people agreed upon was that after the scandalous abuses seen at Ornge, at eHealth and the crass decision to spend more than $500 million cancelling private power deals in Mississauga and Oakville, is that they wanted their government to be balanced, accountable and transparent.” .

Every April 2, the United Nations marks World Autism Awareness Day, The day is meant to boost awareness of children and adults with autism spectrum disorders, to highlight their talents and to help them to realize their full potential. As Ontario PC Critic for Children and Youth, I’m especially mindful of the importance and resonance of this day.

Autism is a universe we are still exploring. We know a certain amount about it but there is a great deal more that we do not know. We know that autism affects roughly 1 in 88 children and is more common in boys, who are four times more likely than girls to have autism.

Youth are our future. Whether as parents, neighbours or policymakers, we have a responsibility to help our children and youth succeed — and to give them the tools they need to live the life they deserve. Whether we succeed or fail in that mission, our actions speak volumes about who we are as a government and a society.

With that in mind I recently assembled a discussion paper, A Fresh Start for Children and Youth, intended to open a passionate and positive conversation about the changes that our young people desperately need. That paper described a number of ways that leadership and creative collaboration can benefit our young people and society as a whole.

The week after he locked out the Legislature, Premier McGuinty explained to reporters that did so because of a “phony contempt motion.” The Globe & Mail later concluded that his excuse “doesn’t hold water.”