Barrier Free Manitoba

The Manitoba Human Rights Commission released its most recent annual report today. Disturbingly but not shockingly, disability discrimination was, by far, the most frequent reason for complaint, accounting for 44.4% of all formal complaints in 2016. The next most frequent ground was Ancestory, accounting for just over 15% of complaints.

This is not shocking as disability discrimination was also the No. 1 reason for formal complaints each and every year for the previous 15 consecutive years (2001 to 2015). The figure for this year is slightly lower than for 2015 (45.1%) but a bit higher than the 15 year average (41.1%).

Notably, Manitoba is not alone in this - disability discrimination is the most frequent reason for human rights complaints across Canada.

Houston, we have a problem - and it’s a systemic one! Indeed, it represents a national shame.

But Manitoba is getting ahead of the curve. Our province enacted and is now implementing the landmark Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA). The goal of the AMA Is to achieve significant progress toward full accessibility by 2023 by proactively removing the barriers that form the basis for human rights complaints, as well as preventing the creation of new barriers.

Ontario charted this course in 2005, with Nova Scotia passing a similar act this past Spring. The feds are working on a national act that will be introduced within the coming year.

Barrier-Free Manitoba is proud that our province is committed to redesigning our social, economic and physical infrastuctures to more fully realize the human right to equitable accessibility. We’re not waiting for individual complaints to pile up over non-compliance with 40+ year old human rights obligations.

We’re developing and putting up a new stage where all Manitobans with disabilities will be able to participate on an equitable basis in all the areas of public life that most take for granted.

Yes Houston, we have a problem. But in Manitoba, we are also working on a promising solution.

Read the full Manitoba Human Rights Commission annual report as a PDF at: http://www.manitobahumanrights.ca/v1/about-us/pubs/annual-reports/2016_annual_report_en_fr.pdf

Read the Commission‘s press release at: http://manitobahumanrights.ca/v1/news-events/pubs/latest-news/2016-annual-report-released.pdf