Barrier Free Manitoba

Leadership on Disability Issues

Despite all party support for The Accessibility for Manitobans Act, the November 2014 Throne Speech made no reference to this landmark legislation or the government’s commitment to preventing and removing barriers for persons with disabilities. Alarmingly, it did not include even a single commitment to make progress on any disability issues.

The NDP, the party that forms the government, is now faced with a leadership challenge that will signal direction and priorities for the future.

The candidate selected at the NDP Convention on March 8, 2015 will lead the government during the last year of its mandate.

The leader will also play a major role in developing the NDP's platform for the next provincial election currently scheduled for April 2016. Having those seeking election or re-election commit to real progress on disability issues will help ensure that these issues finally receive the attention that is so long overdue.

There is a lot riding on these commitments

Barrier-Free Manitoba has teamed up with Abilities Manitoba in sending a letter (Word / PDF) to ask each of the NDP leadership candidates to ask for clear statements of their commitment on three key disability and accessibility issues.

• Fully implementing the landmark Accessibility for Manitobans Act, including the early development of strong compliance measures and funding to support independent community participation.
• Endorsing and immediately acting on Abilities Manitoba’s five-priority pathway to improve the quality and ensure the sustainability of services and supports to Manitobans with intellectual disabilities.
• Developing and implementing an action plan to make Manitoba a national and global leader in meeting its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

Detailed Questions Related to The Accessibility for Manitobans Act

The letter sent to the leadership candidates includes more detailed questions on each of the three issues it profiles. Following is the text from the letter specifically related the to The Accessibility for Manitobans Act.

"We are very concerned that there have already been delays in the initial implementation of this historic Act, passed with all-party support on December 5, 2013 following more than six years of robust community advocacy. 

As leader of the NDP, are you committed to the full and timely implementation of this Act? In specific, will implementation under your leadership during 2015-16 include:

• The early April 2015 tabling of the Minister’s first annual plan for the implementation as required under the Act for the 2015-16 fiscal year [Clause 5(3)].

• The provision of support for public sector bodies which are all required under the Act to prepare and publish accessibility plans for 2016 and then every two years thereafter [Clause 33(2)].

• The enactment of regulations relating to the proposed Customer Service Standard.

• The development and public release of initial proposals for accessibility standards by the Accessibility Advisory Council in at least two of the following the areas:

                 o Employment

                o Transportation

                o Information/Communications

                o The Built Environment

• The development and public release of a discussion paper by government on the proposed model and resource plan for strong compliance measures.

• The adequate resourcing of the Disabilities Issues Office and the Accessibility Advisory Council to enable them to effectively fulfill their leadership roles on behalf of government in these developments.

• The provision of funding to community-based organizations or coalitions to support independent and meaningful participation in these developments by members of Manitoba’s disability communities."