Poilievre calls for changes to public alert system after missing Calgary boy found dead

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNewsCanada Poilievre calls for changes to public alert system after missing Calgary boy found dead Parker, who was autistic and non-speaking, wandered off the grounds of a specialized day home Author of the article: By Rahim Mohamed Published Jul 31, 2026 Last updated 4 hours ago 3 minute read Join the conversation Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre speaks during a news conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa, Canada on June 25, 2026. PHOTO BY BLAIR GABLE/POSTMEDIA Article content OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling for faster public alerts when children with special needs go missing, after an 11-year-old Calgary boy with autism was found dead following a two-week search. Article content Poilievre and Conservative MP Mike Lake said in a letter to federal Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski that the search for Parker Wells may have had a happier ending if the public had been notified about his disappearance sooner. Article content Article content Article content “Parker’s death has … exposed a serious gap in how Canada responds when vulnerable children go missing,” wrote Poilievre and Lake. Article content NP Posted Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content Parker, who was autistic and non-speaking, wandered off the grounds of a specialized day home shortly before noon on July 16. Because his disappearance was not a suspected abduction, an Amber Alert only went out when authorities issued a special exemption two days later. Article content A 13-day search for Parker ended tragically on Wednesday, when his remains were found inside a drainage pipe just a few kilometres away. Article content “The danger existed from the moment Parker went missing. The alert system should have been able to respond from that moment,” reads the letter. Article content The letter urges Olszewski to spearhead the creation of a Canada-wide framework for timely alerts when special needs or otherwise vulnerable children go missing, regardless of whether abduction or foul play is suspected. Article content It also calls for better first-responder and search protocols for missing…