Two mothers who have autistic children say they feel abandoned by Quebec's health and education networks.
Both say they're desperate to receive adequate care and support for their autistic sons, so they're making their case heard at the United Nations.
In the first case, Katharine Cukier told CJAD 800 she has been making endless phone calls, sending emails, and visiting several government organizations, to receive adequate support for her 16-year-old son, Benjamin.
The lack of support led to a major crisis and Benjamin needed to be temporarily hospitalized.
Cukier said she rejected the proposal of keeping her 16-year-old son in a group home with autistic adults, where, "orderlies who work there are scared of them, so they just medicate them."
Holding back tears, Cukier said, "If he can't live with his family, there's no where for him to go — and he'll just be medicated..."
Her son interrupts the interview and asks who to whom she's speaking to.
She explains, blows him a kiss, and asks if he would like to speak to me. He does, saying, "Bonjour."
Then Cukier continued, "they'll medicate him, just like they used to do in the dark ages. They used to take people like my son and lock them up, and drug them, and institutionalize them."
"My son's future is more and more threatened in terms of his mental and physical health, his schooling and his family living, because the only thing they offer is inadequate services provided by poorly trained staff and that lack continuity, which are not good for Benjamin," Cukier said.
In the other case, Marie Ismé's 17-year-old child, Brandon, was expelled by École des Érables — a school which caters to youth aged five to 21 who have autism or intellectual disabilities.
"The fact that my son is a black teenager who grows up fast makes some people afraid," she said in a written statement.
"Instead of providing adapted care and accommodation, they chose the easy way out by giving him more drugs to calm him down and keep him in a semi-vegetative state. It's unacceptable to treat a disabled child like this as a way to get rid of him."
Fo Niemi is the Executive Director of the Center for Research Action on Race Relations, which is representing both families.
In a written statement he said, "it's evident that the Quebec and Canadian Governments do not respect their commitments under the International Convention on the Rights of the Children (ICRC). According to the terms of this Convention, the superior interest of the child should be a primary consideration, and governments must ensure that no child is deprived of access to care and education."
The UN cannot compel Canada or Quebec to change its laws or support structures. They can, however, apply pressure onto governments to make changes.
The committee will study Canada's report under the ICRC.
CRARR say they're urging all families of autisitic, children who feel there's an indequate government support system, to bring their situation to the UN.