AUTISM AWARENESS — When most politicos were distracted by the federal budget on Tuesday, Tory MP MIKE LAKE was helping to shepherd Bill S-203 through the House. The bill would force the government to table a federal framework on autism within 18 months of royal assent. Conservative Sen. LEO HOUSAKOS introduced it in the Senate. Lake sponsored it in the House, seconded by Liberal MP MICHAEL COTEAU. It received unanimous consent Tuesday. On Wednesday, Lake delivered a tribute to his son, JADEN. The six-term Alberta MP makes a similar speech each year. Here was Lake's message: “April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day and a quarter century since my son, Jaden, was diagnosed. "Over the years, I’ve focused a lot of my public words on Jaden’s strengths. This isn’t because he doesn’t need help, but rather because — all too often — all people see is the help he needs. To be clear, as incredible as Jaden is, he needs a lot of help. "He has considerable strengths in the concrete world but they’re inhibited by his struggles in the abstract world. He doesn’t understand danger, so he literally needs help to survive every single day. "In other ways, his differences are healthier than our societal 'normal.' He’s obsessed with pictures, not because of how many ‘likes’ they get on Instagram, but because of how much he loves the people, pets, or places in them. "He’s honest with his expressions — giggling, yawning, crying, or ‘tongue-out’ intense — rarely feeling pressure to be something he isn’t. He’s unwaveringly loyal — trusting, forgiving, and trusting again, seemingly without hesitation. "Yes, Jaden needs help. But for those who give him that help, invariably they receive much, much more in return.” Next stop: royal assent. BORDER BATTLE — Republican lawmakers complaining about a porous border into the U.S. are now pointing in Canada’s direction for alleged complicit behavior, and may turn that concern into legislation. “It seems that Canada wants to participate in Mexico’s invasion of the United States,” far-right Republican firebrand Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE said against Canada’s immigration policy. Hoo-boy. Greene and some of her GOP colleagues took aim at their northern neighbor during a lively Homeland Security subcommittee hearing on “Biden’s Growing Border Crisis” on Tuesday, where concerns about human and drug trafficking as well as a decrease in CBP agents took center stage. One big concern honed in on Canadian federal policy dating to 2016 that allows Mexican citizens entry into Canada without a visa. “Looking at these numbers, looking at the trends, it would appear that a number of Mexican Nationals are exploiting that loophole,” former immigration judge ANDREW ARTHUR told the Housemembers. — Legislation incoming? A spokesperson for Rep. MIKE KELLY (R-Penn.), who co-chairs the brand-new Northern Border Security Caucus, told Playbook “there is certainly ambition from Rep. Kelly and other Members to explore meaningful legislation that will combat the surge in illegal human and drug trafficking that’s happening at the Northern border.” “We are working with some members of the caucus and other leaders on this issue to strengthen and secure all of America’s borders,” the spokesperson added. — Reality check: A bill likely wouldn't amount to much of anything. There are 28 House Republicans in the caucus, and any sort of legislation that targets Canadian border policy is unlikely to appeal to the vast majority of the House. Even if a measure were to somehow advance past the House and clear a Democratic-majority Senate, it is extremely unlikely President JOE BIDEN would sign it into law. — Don't forget: During last week's visit to Canada, Biden and Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU announced changes to how the Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the United States is applied. Canada would ultimately commit to taking in 15,000 migrants from the Western hemisphere to lessen the load on the southern U.S. border. — The numbers: U.S. border patrol apprehensions, or temporary detainments, at the Canadian border so far number 2,856 in 2023, and are on pace to pass 8,500 by year end for the first time since 2004 according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. But numbers have generally gone down since then, dropping below 5,000 every year since 2012. — The counter: LAURA DAWSON, executive director of the Futures Borders Coalition and one of the expert witnesses at the hearing, said it felt more like political theater meant to discredit Biden. “When numbers go up or go down, they are not necessarily indicators of better or worse enforcement,” Dawson told Playbook. “They are indicators of crises in the world and its challenges.”
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