The Juniper Centre hosted a live stream of Disability Matters’ Great Debate on March 31, which aimed to proved a sense of where Manitoba’s political parties stood on issues of disability for the upcoming provincial election on April 19. Participating in the debate were Manitoba Liberal candidate for Brandon East Vanessa Hamilton, NDP candidate for Fort Richmond Kerri Irvin-Ross, Progressive Conservative candidate for Portage la Prairie Ian Wishart, and Green Party leader and candidate for Fort Garry-Riverview James Beddome. CBC Radio’s Marcy Markusa moderated the debate.
The debate took the form of five questions, dealing with commitment to the Accessibility for Manitobans Act, support staff deficiencies, excessive wait times for accessing care, employment, and income support for individuals unable to work.
There’s no denying that all parties reaffirmed the importance of accessibility and access to support. PC representative Wishart himself noted, “This is probably the first time in any election that I remember that we are having a really good discussion on the issue of disability. I think that’s really important, and I think that will help Manitoba build a society that’s inclusive.” The statement was typical of those given by all parties that day, but the first part holds particular significance: disability does tend to be an issue that is viewed as a personal problem with a technical solution, rather than a political one, and rarely is the issue thrust into the political limelight. This was evidently reflected in the debate: while each representative spoke with confidence, none seemed to know exactly what it was they could promise to curry the lobby’s favour.
Thompson councillor Penny Byer, who attended the Juniper Centre event, echoed that dismay, and was particularly disappointed by the lack of concrete direction among debaters: “I never really heard anything definite. It felt more like, ‘Well, thank you for hosting this; I guess we’d better develop something soon, and we probably should.’ Especially when you know you’re going into a specific debate, your platform should cover that.”
Juniper Centre executive director Rachel Templeton also expressed dismay that most of the party’s leaders failed to attend the debate. She and Society for Manitobans with Disabilities regional supervisor Brenda Davidson noted they were happy to hear that due attention was paid to mental health and its coverage under provincial health services, and the reduction in wait times for medical services. But more than anyone, Templeton was impressed by the debate’s moderator, CBC Radio’s Markusa. “The questions that were brought up by the moderator were really good, and hit on all of the key issues, whether it was EIA, employment or housing.” If anything, the debate served as a platform for the movement to raise awareness of the issues at hand: and remind Manitoba politicians that disability is more than a personal issue, and that disabled Manitobans are looking to them for help as much as any other. Unemployment among disabled individuals is double that of the general population; many individuals, disabled in the long term by no choice of their own, live 50 per cent below the poverty line.
“We all have ability, and not everyone who has a disability needs or wants to live on social assistance,” added Davidson. “A lot of people want to work, and they want to work for a fair wage, and I think they should have that opportunity.”
