Tuxedo
Manitoba Liberal Party (MLP) - Candidate: Marc Brandson
Q: How have disabilities played a role in your life and the lives of your loved ones?
Like many Manitobans, I know and love people with a wide range of disabilities. My father lived with debilitating chronic illness for years and required disability support services, and in recent years, my spouse and I have relied upon both the Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, as well as the Specialized Services for Children and Youth Centre to address a health condition experienced by one of our children. While our child ultimately has not been faced with permanent disability and our personal need for these services has abated, I have witnessed firsthand the vital necessity of comprehensive care and support for individuals with disabilities and their families.
Due in part to the foregoing, my family is committed to a vision of an equitable and accessible Manitoba, and for that reason we volunteer and donate to organizations such as the Special Olympics and the Cerebral Palsy Association of Manitoba.
Finally, I will note that I have had the great fortune of experiencing a workplace that has made genuine efforts to integrate individuals with disabilities into the workplace. It has been my experience that an inclusive workplace results in wide-ranging benefits for both the staff and the organization.
Q: Which one of DMVote’s 5 priority issues is of the greatest interest to you and why?
I hesitate to choose one of the five priority issues over another, since they are interrelated and interdependent. For instance, one needs to have their Basic Needs met by a Skilled Workforce and an Accessible Manitoba to be able to achieve and maintain meaningful Employment.
What is glaringly obvious to me is that Manitobans living with disabilities are under resourced, and it is time for the provincial government to ensure that it is meeting its obligations to Manitobans with disabilities.
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?
I suspect that there are many reasons for which we have continued to see such a large proportion of formal complaints due to disability discrimination.
Discrimination includes not only differential treatment of individuals based on their protected human-rights characteristics, but also a failure to make reasonable accommodation for the special needs of an individual or group on the basis of these protected characteristics.
While service-providers, landlords and government are obligated to provide reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities, the fact is that barriers – including attitudinal barriers – persist that prevent the reasonable accommodation of individuals with disabilities.
The way to address this unfortunate reality is by consulting and collaborating with Manitobans with disabilities to ensure their disability-related needs are met, and that they are provided the resources that they need to achieve this outcome.
The Manitoba Liberal Party is committed to supporting Manitobans with disabilities. Our platform includes rapid-access addiction services, making mental healthcare free of charge, early universal screen for learning disabilities, universal coverage for all cognitive and learning challenges, implementation of alternative learning models, the implementation of a provincial guaranteed dignified income for people with severe disabilities, increasing the amount a person can receive from EIA when volunteering from $100-$500 a month, and creating a voluntary jobs program which will provide wage and job subsidies for not-for-profit and other organizations to provide work for the public good. I personally commit to working with Manitobans with disabilities and all three level of governments to address the ongoing gaps in services, lack of accessibility and skilled workforce.
New Democratic Party of Manitoba (NDP) - Candidate: Larissa Ashdown
The candidate did not respond by our September 20, 2023 deadline
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba (PC) - Candidate: Heather Stefanson
Q: How have disabilities played a role in your life and the lives of your loved ones?
While I do not have any close family with disabilities, protecting Manitobans with disabilities has been near and dear to my heart throughout my career. As the MLA for Tuxedo, I received unanimous approval to pass my private member's bill The Special Olympics Awareness Week Act, which proclaims the second week in June in each year as Special Olympics Awareness Week in Manitoba. I have also served as an honourary member of the Special Olympics Manitoba board, and I worked with the organization to host an annual BBQ on the grounds of the Legislature to celebrate Manitobans with disabilities. I believe strongly that sport and employment opportunities can help Manitobans with intellectual disabilities feel valued and included.
Q: Which one of DMVote’s 5 priority issues is of the greatest interest to you and why?
Each one of these issues is important for Manitobans with disabilities. Taken together, policies that address these issues would allow Manitobans with disabilities to lead lives of dignity, independence, and fulfillment in our communities. Our Progressive Conservative team has met with people with disabilities across our province, and what we hear from them is that they want to contribute to our province through meaningful work, which is why we will continue to pursue career programming that recognizes the unique experience of Manitobans with disabilities. We will also continue to work to make our spaces, in government and the private sector, accessible for all Manitobans.
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?
Discrimination against people with disabilities cannot be tolerated. We must educate Manitobans, including employers, about their role in fostering an environment of acceptance, inclusivity, and respect for Manitobans with disabilities. An example of a successful program is SCE Lifeworks' Take Your MLA to Work Day, which has helped to educate MLA's about the incredible value that people with intellectual disabilities provide to workplaces across Manitoba. There is so much more to do to ensure that all Manitobans with disabilities are valued and respected, and our PC team will continue to work to make our province a better place for people with disabilities.