Accessibility Minister, Kinew NDP Vote Against Equitable Support, Plan for Children with Autism
WINNIPEG — Newly-appointed Accessibility Minister Carla Compton and Wab Kinew’s NDP voted against a PC motion today for the Province to equitably support all Manitoba children living with autism, including in rural and Northern communities.
“Every family deserves the opportunity for their child’s full potential to be realized,” said Morden-Winkler MLA Carrie Hiebert, who introduced the motion Wednesday. “But right now, many Manitoba children with autism are being denied that opportunity due to lack of local access to services.”
“I’m extremely disappointed that the NDP’s new Minister of Accessibility, as one of her first actions in that role, voted against ensuring that children with autism are able to prosper no matter where they live in Manitoba.”
The motion called on the provincial government to immediately provide supports and equitable access to programming for all Manitoba children living with autism. It also called on the Province to immediately develop a funded plan with clear timelines to deliver autism services to all Manitobans in both rural and urban settings.
The PC motion complements legislation introduced by Liberal MLA Cindy Lamoureux, for which Hiebert started a petition to support.
The Kinew government voted against that bill in March, with then-Accessibility Minister Nahanni Fontaine claiming that “we don’t need legislation for what we’re already doing.” After significant backlash and PCs calling for all MLAs’ votes to be put on the record, the NDP quickly flipped their position the following day. Lamoureux voted in favour of the PC motion on Wednesday, and her bill will be going to committee this Friday.
“Our PC motion and MLA Lamoureux’s bill go hand in hand to ensure neurodivergent children are meaningfully supported in reaching their full potential during their formative years,” said Hiebert. “The NDP’s vote against our simple, bipartisan motion signals to rural and Northern families that they don’t matter to this government. They do matter and I will continue standing up to make sure these families do not get left behind.”
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