Barrier Free Manitoba

We're pleased to share the responses from the three contestants in the Liberal Party of Manitoba's current leadership race to BFM's accessibility and AMA-related questions. The order of the response are presented in alphabtic order of the last names of the candidates.

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Jon Gerrard

Question 1: Will you commit to provide for the full participation of Manitobans with disabilities in your leadership campaign?

Response: Yes I have and am committing to full participation of Manitobans with disabilities in my leadership campaign. To enable this, I have established a four person committee which includes the following four members:

• Rachel Smith and Scott Smith – Rachel and Scott are the parents of a child with cerebral palsy
• Bonnie Bieganski – Bonnie is in a wheel chair and on a respirator. She has achieved a degree from the University of Winnipeg and has, for much of the last several years, been working full time or on contract as a counsellor.
• Yvonne Swiderek – Yvonne is with the Learning Disabilities Association of Manitoba.

My goal is to have as accessible a campaign as possible. To this end we have as examples: 1) We asked our web site developer to make our web site as accessible as possible at extra cost to our campaign; 2) We moved the location of our major fundraising event to a fully accessible venue. 3) One of the first statements I made during the campaign was on accessibility and supportive of Barrier Free Manitoba on July 1 and it can be seen at https://jongerrardsreport.blogspot.ca/2017/07/being-able-to-participate-matters-lets.html 4) Even as the campaign has been going on, I have spent time helping individuals with issues of accessibility. For example I have spent a lot of time helping an individual with a large body in a personal care home who was given no option other than to stay in his bed 24 hours a day for six months because a suitable wheelchair and lift was not provided.

Question 2: What is your overall position on the landmark 2013 Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) and what do you see as the priorities that need to be addressed to ensure its full and timely implementation?

Response: The 2013 Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) is a measure which I fully supported when it was brought forward in the Manitoba Legislature. I continue to be fully supportive of this legislation and am committed to doing what I can to ensure its full and timely implementation.

Question 3: Do you support the call for government commitment to develop and enforce a strong accessible education standard within the next three years under the AMA? If so, why?

Response: Manitoba to develop a strong accessible education standard which applies to individuals with physical disabilities, intellectual disabilities and learning disabilities (including hearing, speech and language disabilities). There are rapid advances occurring in the field of neuroscience and in our understanding of neuroplasticity. It is important that we are organized in Manitoba to benefit from these developments. As examples I mention the following. Dr. Karen Pape’s book “The Boy who could run but not walk,” provides details of the progress occurring in neuroscience as it relates to children with disabilities like cerebral palsy and our improved understanding of therapeutic approaches and the potential of these children to overcome their disabilities. Barbara Arrowsmith-Young’s book “The Woman who changed her brain,” identifies therapeutic approaches which can transform the learning abilities of children and adults. Breaking down barriers is not just about making spaces and information accessible. It is also about making the best therapeutic approaches accessible so that barriers to movement and barriers to learning are overcome. Currently, for example, the Learning Disabilities Association of Manitoba offers the Arrowsmith program. However, it is too expensive for most families. We need to move toward having it fully accessible to all children and adults who need it. This needs to be a part of what is included in the education standard.

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Dougald Lamont

 

Question 1: Will you commit to provide for the full participation of Manitobans with disabilities in your leadership campaign?

Response: Yes. It's been a priority for the Our New Way campaign team to ensure that as many Manitobans as possible are able to participate in the Manitoba Liberal Leadership contest. Since June, we have hosted over 25 free meet and greet events in Winnipeg and rural communities. Our meet and greet events are informal gatherings where I can sit and chat one-on-one with the public. Early in the campaign a community member contacted us to let us know that we could do more to make our events more accessible. We listened and after that call, we made every attempt to host our events at accessible venues and at locations served by Transit (in Winnipeg). We have also organized a number of free, online events where the public can ask me anything. The OurNewWay.ca website also has the following message posted: If you need a disability-related accommodation or wheelchair access information for any Our New Way campaign events or a Manitoba Liberal Party Leadership event, please contact us at 204-410-2200.

Question 2: What is your overall position on the landmark 2013 Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) and what do you see as the priorities that need to be addressed to ensure its full and timely implementation?

Response: The major obstacle is political will. The NDP passed the act then did nothing on implementation, and the PCs actually cancelled funding for children with disabilities, before being shamed into restoring it. There may be a perception that this is costly - and when necessary, government should find ways to ease transitions, but it is always more costly when people are unable to fulfill their full potential.

Our campaign recognizes that better access is about access for everyone, and that lowering barriers for those who face them does not raise barriers for those who do not. Some of the most important challenges relate to transportation and basic physical access. We need to have a transportation system that makes it easy for people with disabilities to get to and from home, work, school or whatever other destination they need to get to.

Question 3: Do you support the call for government commitment to develop and enforce a strong accessible education standard within the next three years under the AMA? If so, why?

Response: Yes. The previous government passed the act but has been paying lip service to its implementation. Of course there are costs involved, but they are far outweighed by the benefits in the long run. We are all better off when we are all better off, especially when each person gets the opportunity to contribute and be their best selves.

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Cindy Lamoureux

Question 1: Will you commit to provide for the full participation of Manitobans with disabilities in your leadership campaign?

Response: Our campaign believes in the red big tent: in creating an environment where anyone, regardless of their age, ethnicity, gender, sexual preferences, and disability, are welcome. This diversity, when tapped, can be a source of strength. My approach to leadership is that I surround myself with smart and capable individuals. I know everyone has the potential to make a contribution to the campaign and to the Manitoba Liberal Party. There should not be any barriers from letting this happen.

Question 2: What is your overall position on the landmark 2013 Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) and what do you see as the priorities that need to be addressed to ensure its full and timely implementation?

Response: I think that the 2013 Accessibility for Manitobans Act is important in improving participation amongst Manitobans who have any form of disability. I think that this raises awareness about disabilities in a way that challenges prevailing prejudices about them. 

It is important for governments, employers, and Manitobans to know that disabled persons should not be put in disadvantageous situations.

Question 3: Do you support the call for government commitment to develop and enforce a strong accessible education standard within the next three years under the AMA? If so, why?

Response: Yes. Education plays an important role in Manitoba. It is a means by which Manitobans can achieve, excel and have better opportunities for the future. Everyone has the same potential to learn and no amount of disadvantage, including disabilities, hampers that.