Barrier Free Manitoba

The Province of Manitoba has taken another promising step forward in efforts to get the full and timely implementation of the landmark Accessibility for Manitobans Act back on track - Premier Pallister included the following in the revised mandate letter for the Honourable Heather Stefanson, the recently appointed Minister of Families:

"Completing the review and implementation of The Accessibility for Manitobans Act to ensure its effectiveness in removing barriers to Manitobans with disabilities"

Premier Pallister, we think wisely, decided to provide each of his Ministers with mandate letters following their appointments. The purpose of the mandate letters, widely used in other Canadian jurisdictions, is to establish the deliverables for which Ministers will be held accountable.

The Premier’s May 3, 2016 mandate letter (PDF) for the Honourable Scott Fielding, the newly Minister of Families who was also responsible for the AMA, did not include any mention of the Act, nor responsibility to fulfill the three election commitments made by the Progressive Conservative Party as part of the April 2016 general election. Indeed, the mandate letter did not include the terms “accessibility”, “disability”, “disabilities” or “human rights”. Moreover, the mandate letter did not include mention of the AMA or any other disability issues.

We found this very disconcerting at the time. We now see it as a significant oversight.

So we are very pleased that the Premier has rectified this by including AMA-related responsibilities among the seven deliverables in the revised mandate letter (PDF) for the Honourable Heather Stefanson, the new Minister of Families.

It's one more promising step forward.