The Canadian Press

MARKHAM, Ont. — Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty says more should be done to help autistic children, but won’t commit to
clearing a waiting list for treatment.

Speaking at an elementary school north of Toronto, McGuinty acknowledged “more work needs to be done,” but wouldn’t expand on his comments.

Opposition parties say the backlog of children waiting for the one-on-one treatment —  known as intensive behavioural intervention, or IBI —
 has grown significantly under the Liberal government.

They say the backlog is now at about 900 children, and accuse the party of breaking a promise to the families of autistic kids.

The Liberals say they’ve nearly tripled spending on autism and more than doubled the number of children getting access to the treatment.

McGuinty was at a school in Markham, where he talked to Grade 4 students and later touted new statistics that say Ontario’s unemployment shrank last month.

He says the province’s manufacturing sector continues to “be challenged,” but says his party is the only one that can bring labour and business to the
table.

The Liberal leader also unveiled a new plank in his education platform, saying a Liberal government would spend up to $150 million a year to reduce
class sizes in grades 4 to 8, provide more individual attention in areas like
the arts and help students make the transition to high school.