Thanks to your commitment and support, the petition to end sizeism in Manitoba has reached 5000 signatures! Thanks to Jill Andrew, founder of the #SizeismSUCKS movement, for her continued leadership and advocacy. Next steps: Along with continuing to share the petition, please consider emailing the Manitoba Government to show your support. With laws, we can change perceptions and practices! In December, I had the opportunity to meet with Progressive Conservative MLA and Legislative Assistant to the Minister of Health, Ms. Sarah Guillemard to talk about the importance of law to make sizeism illegal in Manitoba. She is interested to hear from you about why legislation to add physical size and weight to the Manitoba Human Rights Code is important to you. You can email Sarah at sarah.guillemard@leg.gov.mb.ca. Not sure what to say? Copy and paste the following: "Dear Ms. Sarah Guillemard - MLA, I support legislation to end sizeism in Manitoba which would make it illegal to discriminate based on size and weight because weight discrimination has serious consequences to health and our economy. Weight discrimination is health care leads to avoidance of preventative care such as Pap smears. Human rights law protecting those from discrimination based on size and weight would push the regulatory bodies of health care professionals to ensure their members provide size inclusive care. Not only will this result in better health outcomes but it is also less expensive for the Government to provide preventative screenings like Pap smears than it is to treat end-stage cervical cancer. That’s “Value for Money”! Weight discrimination in employment leads to people not being given jobs/promotions/educational opportunities based on assumptions of their abilities based on weight. It is better for the economy to ensure that qualified persons have the same opportunities for jobs regardless of weight or size in order to lower unemployment and promote a healthy and respectful workplace. I am not alone. Over 40,000 people in Canada agree that is it time to end sizeism. Check out the pan-Canadian petitions here: https://www.change.org/m/make-size-appearance-based-discrimination-illegal. With this new law, we can change perceptions and practices! Let’s contribute to the Government’s goal of making Manitoba the “Most Improved Province” by being the first to ban sizeism! Sincerely, [Your name here]” In summary: Step 1: Continue to share the petition and encourage more signatures. Step 2: Email MLA Sarah Guillemard using script above or in your own words. Step 3: Follow Manitobans Against Weight Stigma on Facebook, Instagram/Twitter @MBWeightStigma THANKS AGAIN! In solidarity, Lindsey Mazur, RD Manitobans Against Weight Stigma