Barrier Free Manitoba

Pallister government shooting 0 for 3 to date in meeting PC 2016 election commitments related to the landmark Accessibility for Manitobans Act.

Disability Matters: Vote 2016 (DMV2016) asked each of the major political parties to go on the record with their positions on five disability priorities as part of the 2016 general provincial election.

The PCs were asked and responded to three questions related to the landmark AMA (that the party MLAs had voted for in 2013).

As shown in graphic and text below, two of the party's three answers are short but unequivocal. You've got to think that "Yes" means "Yes"

But as has been set out by BFM, the government's implementation of the AMA has been and continues to be slow, weak and incomplete.

So that's a clear miss on the first commitment.

In terms of the second, only one of the five initial standards is in place and that was established under the former government. No new standard has been established in the first two years of the current government's term and no reasonable plan has been presented on how the government will establish four remaining standards before the next general election. It can be done but not without a major increase in effort and resources.

So that's a clear miss on the second commitment too.

The PCs provided a longer answer to the third question. The party's answer seems to suggest that they understand the need for inspection and enforcement and would proceed accordingly. Indeed, the Minister's implementation plan set the goal of having an enforcement framework in place by September 2017. It's now nine months later and there is still no word on such a framework.

So there the record - 0 for 3 on meeting election commitments related to what has been described as the most important human rights legislation passed in several decades.

This is just entirely unacceptable. Immediate and significant action is required to get the AMA implementation back on track. And more changes are needed to ensure that implementation does not fall off the tracks again.

BFM encourages you to join in our clarion call for these measures. Just sign on to our call for action by clicking here. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AMABrokenPromise

Make sure your voice is heard sound and clear.

While you're at it, make sure your displeasure is seen too. Join in BFM's "Why So Glum Chum" challenge. Click here for the details.

We also invite you to read our review on the government's markedly inadequate implementation efforts to date. Just click here. 

Click here to read the full PC responses to the questions from DMV2016.

Here's the text to the Qs & As shown in the graphic:

Question: Is your party committed to the full and timely implementation of the Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) that was passed with all party support in December 2013?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Will your party commit to establishing standards in the following areas during the next term in office: employment, transportation, information and communication, and built environment?

Answer: Yes.

Question: What will your party do to ensure that organizations follow the standards that are developed?

Answer: The Accessibility for Manitobans Act includes provisions for the inspection and enforcement of accessibility standards, including the ability to impose penalties when appropriate; the Progressive Conservative Party is supportive of these measures.