Speaking truth to power

Winnipeg Free Press

Letter to the Editor

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Your Jan. 21 article Deported paraplegic claims discrimination is a wake-up call for Canada to take action and amend its immigration laws. NDP critic Judy Wasylycia-Leis spoke truth to power when she said that Canadians don't support the approach taken by our government. She's right; it is "intolerable." Chris Mason's deportation was wrong. I hope that Mason can find it within himself to forgive our government an reapply so he can come back to Canada.

HARRY WOLBERT

Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities

Disabled Workforce Increased: Statistics Canada

Ottawa - The number of people with disabilities who are joining the workforce has increased over the past seven years, according to a recent report by Statistics Canada. Between 2001 and 2006, the employment rate for Canadians with disabilities grew from 49.3 per cent to 53.5 per cent, compared to an employment rate of 75 per cent for Canadians without disabilities.

Statistics Canada reports that Canadian workplaces have been finding more ways to accommodate workers with severe disabilities, as the employment rate for this group saw the most significant increase - from 31.8 per cent to 38.3 per cent. The survey also found that many workers with disabilities required a modified work schedule that cut down the amount of hours or days they work in a week. According to the report, 11 per cent of respondents with severe disabilities perceived they had suffered at least some discrimination at work due to their condition.

Winnipeg Free Press

LETTER OF THE DAY

Sending wrong message

Re: Told he's not fit enough to stay, Jan. 13/09

I am disgusted to hear that a man with a disability, Chris Mason, is going to be deported simply because he is no longer able to work. What message does this send to Canadians about the value of persons with disabilities? If Mason were a violent criminal, then the government might have some justification in deporting him. But he's done nothing wrong.

I think that this individual should be allowed to remain in Canada. We have a provincial and federal government that say they support the inclusion of persons with disabilities. This sort of behavior says the opposite. It's the message of exclusion, not inclusion. I hope that the federal government will rethink its policy and show some compassion to Mason. My Canada includes persons with disabilities.

HARRY WOLBERT

Co-Chairperson

Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities

"See what we can do, not what we can't"

We've come a long way since the days of the snake pits and forced sterilization. However we still have quite a ways to go before the inclusion and full-citizenship of persons with disabilities has become a reality. There are still far too many persons with disabilities who are unemployeded, without safe, adequate housing and who continue to live in poverty. Some positive change has taken place over the last forty years but not enough to lay claim to a victory in the war on poverty or social exclusion. Recently the Government of Manitoba announced that it was launching a "public awarenes campaign" to promote the skills and potential of hard-working Manitobans with disabilities. The message to employers was clear: 'See what I can do, not what I can't'. The initiative was hailed as positive and a good first step. We can only hope that the government's latest public awareness campaign will have the desired results. After all: Hiring someone with disability really is good for business. And that is the bottom line!