St. James
Manitoba Liberal Party (MLP) - Candidate: Randell Cacayuran
The candidate did not respond by our September 20, 2023 deadline
New Democratic Party of Manitoba (NDP) - Candidate: Adrien Sala
Q: How have disabilities played a role in your life and the lives of your loved ones?
Here in St. James, I hear every day the personal stories from constituents who struggle to access the services they need. In particular, I've heard time and time again about the lack of adequately resourced public homecare. With homecare services in higher demand than ever before and wait times out of control, it's time the government make strengthening public homecare a priority to ensure all Manitobans can live accessibly in their own homes. We will make strong investments in homecare by hiring more homecare workers, increasing homecare hours, and treating homecare workers with the respect and fair wages they deserve. This will help tackle wait times while improving retention and recruitment in the sector.
Q: Which one of DMVote’s 5 priority issues is of the greatest interest to you and why?
Everyone deserves timely and equitable access to disability services so we can ensure that all Manitobans can live barrier free. But over the past seven years, we've seen a Conservative government who has refused make the investments that Manitobans deserve.
I've heard this first-hand on the doorstep. Folks have shared stories about wait times for disability services getting out of hand and a lack of transparency around how long it will take to access the services they need. Instead of cutting back, an NDP government will invest and expand disability services in all corners of our province to tackle the backlog. We will also ensure that transparent and reliable information on wait times is readily available for all who need it, while bringing people with disabilities to the table to understand how we can do better.
In addition, we also know that huge disparities exist in accessing services on First Nations and in Indigenous communities. An NDP government will work with Ottawa to ensure a comprehensive approach is developed in accordance with Jordan's Principle to improve access to services for First Nations people living with disabilities. Together, we can ensure that services for people living with disabilities are adequately resourced and all Manitobans can live barrier free.
Q: Disability discrimination has made up the largest share by far of all the formal complaints lodged with the Manitoba Human Rights Commission over the last 20 years. What do you think accounts for this and what do you think needs to be done to address it?
In order to effectively address the issue, we need a provincial government who will work to ensure that all Manitobans can live barrier free. Manitobans with disabilities have the basic human right to fully participate in all aspects of life – but unfortunately, stigma and systemic barriers often prevent that from happening.
Government needs to take action to combat stigma, to come at it from every angle and provide solutions so people can live with dignity whether that’s at school, at work, or anywhere else. We need to work with the community to implement and enforce the Accessibility for Manitobans Act, supporting education and awareness campaigns, and properly funding disability supports – including raising wages for disability workers. People with disabilities need to be at decision-making tables. The Manitoba NDP will make sure the community is regularly consulted and included from the start – including as a part of our new Premier’s Business and Jobs Council.
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba (PC) - Candidate: Tim Diack
The candidate did not respond by our September 20, 2023 deadline