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The public purse is responsible for funding almost all autism spectrum disorders (ASD) research in Canada (as per Canadian Institutes of Health Research [CIHR]) and for providing some of the existing services and supports for this population. In this article, we consider various reasons why Canada should be concerned to ensure a more equitable distribution of relevant public funding for ASD research than is currently the case to meet the express needs and interests of the diversity of autism stakeholders. As such, we report data to show that CIHR-supported ASD research from the period of 2000–2010 demonstrates a bias focussed on the aetiology of the condition revealing a disproportionate emphasis on only two (Biomedical and Clinical) out of the four research pillars avowed by CIHR, with a comparative lack of fiscal resources committed to Health Systems and Services and Population and Public Health research. We advance certain normative and prudential reasons for funding more Health Systems and Services and Population and Public Health ASD research in Canada. In our view, this would seem to follow from CIHR’s official mandate ‘as a flexible mechanism that will continually align health research funding with changes in the manner in which health problems and opportunities are identified, understood and addressed’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) bolsters support for research tackling Canada's primary health care performance. It states that 36% of Canadians are using hospital emergency departments for their primary health care more than any other industrialized country. Colleen Flood, scientific director of CIHR's Institute of Health Services and Policy Research warns that a dose of strong medicine is needed to tackle gaping deficiencies in the primary care.

The article informs that according to an analysis of the health-related legal challenges based on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, even failed bids can prove beneficial. According to Colleen Flood, scientific director, Canadian Institutes of Health Research's Institute of Health Services and Policy Research, some of the successful cases are ultimately underenforced, whereas some unsuccessful cases lead to policy changes favoring the litigants.

The article offers information on the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). CIHR is the Government of Canada's agency responsible for funding health research in the country. CIHR's mission is to transform health research in Canada by funding more research on targeted priority areas like population health and health services research and training the next generation of health researchers. CIHR consists of 13 virtual institutes, a structure that is unique in the world.