Barrier Free Manitoba

The recent release of the 2012 Annual Report by the Manitoba Human Rights Commission (MHRC) confirms that disability discrimination still makes up almost one-half (47.3%) of all formal human rights complaints in the Manitoba.

 As shown below, more human rights complaints were made based on disability discrimination in 2012 than for almost all the other grounds combined. The next most frequent grounds for complaint were Sex (including pregnancy) and Ancestry, both comprising 14.1% of all complaints lodged with the MHRC. The next most frequent grounds represented less than 6% of complaints.  

 The 47.3% figure for disability discrimination is the second highest recorded over the last decade. The only year when it was higher was in 2011 when disability discrimination complaints made up 51.4% of all complaints.

The preponderance of complaints based on disability discrimination is not new. As shown below, disability discrimination complaints made up just over 40% of all human rights complaints lodged with the MHRC over the previous decade (2002-2011).

The 47.3% figure for disability discrimination in 2012 is alarming. It also adds to the mounting evidence that disability discrimination is pervasive and, sadly, that human rights issues related to disability have not been adequately addressed with current tools and approaches.

What might be even more disturbing is that the MHRC's annual report received very little media attention. Indeed, the only media story found to date was in today's (November 27) edition of The Winnipeg Free Press and it focused on in the hike in sexual harassment complaints. This is clearly a disconcerting development but the larger story seems to be that human rights issues related to disability discrimination continue to predominate. And with next year's scheduled opening of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, the record on disability discrimination within Manitoba remains embarrassingly limited.

That's where we hope Bill 26 (The Accessibility for Manitobans Act) comes in. This bill promises to begin to make a real difference when it is passed and implemented. We desperately need the new and better tools that Bill 26 provides. We also need the tools to be applied with administrative strength, sustained resolve and political fortitude.

We can and we must do much better! The basic human rights of over 200,000 Manitobans depend on it.