Dear supporters,
It is with a heavy heart that I write this update. This evening at the Committee Stage Meeting, where Bill 216 was discussed and statements from Manitobans and organizations were presented in writing and in person. It was a powerful evening.
The Bill was "killed" at the end with a vote of 6-4. Where our majority PC government members voted NO. Although, there is still time to revive the Bill but we have to act NOW. (We have a couple days I think. If the House Leaders don't agree to revive the Bill before Thursday, November 8th, the Bill with be officially dead.) Please email your MLA OR the house leaders asap to share your disappointment and help move this forward.
Find your MLA email here: https://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/members/mla_list_alphabetical.html
OR
Email the House Leaders- Copy and paste the following into the address line: kelvin@kelvingoertzen.com; minedu@leg.gov.mb.ca; Jon.Gerrard@leg.gov.mb.ca; andrew.swan@leg.gov.mb.ca
OR
Email your MLA and the House Leaders
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LIVE IN MANITOBA TO EMAIL THE HOUSE LEADERS AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR BILL 216!
If you are part of an organization that would back this Bill, please contact me asap: manitobansagainstweightstigma@gmail.com.
Anyone with personal connections to political leaders in Manitoba, reach out and tell them about your disappointment. If we can leverage those personal connections, now is the time.
So back to what happened tonight. The night was very powerful and seemingly went very well. ALL political parties asked curious questions and appeared supportive in their comments. The Manitobans who spoke were passionate, evidenced-based and were compelling. I applaud their bravery.
Because I didn't want to get my hopes up, and also because of my (limited) knowledge of political process, I assumed that the Bill might not pass but at LEAST would be moved to the next step which is called "3rd reading". The end of the evening was very confusing for those in attendance, including myself. There were a few "process" questions and yays were said, then the final question, and it was determined "nays" were the majority, but it was asked that the vote be counted and the vote was 6 nays and 4 yays.
I exclaimed out loud, "what does that mean?" I think I violated the process but as a citizen I was truly confused. The evening, was powerful, moving, and seemed to be favouring at least the movement to the next step.
Andrew Swan, MLA spoke out at the very end to indicate that he was shocked at what happened at that committee table. That its his understanding that in the history of the Committee Stage, that a majority government has NEVER "killed" a Bill at (during) the Committee Stage, that at least the Bill is moved to the next step. Jon Gerrard, MLA (who introduced the Bill) gave his apologies to those in attendance and was equally shocked.
After the meeting was adjourned, those in attendance, including myself approached the members (of the PC Caucus) who voted NO. We asked what happened here and why, and the only explanation given was that it was now in the hands of the House Leaders. BUT the reality is there is only ONE WEEK for the House Leaders to decide this for the *possibility* of reviving the Bill and keeping it moving forward. The decision could be stalled, PURPOSELY which would mean the Bill would die on November 8th. There was brief mention about concern of "costs" the Bill will incur however, research indicates that any minimal costs, outweighs the benefits of passing such as Bill.
Weight discrimination causes loss in wages and employment, and increased uptake to employment benefits, as well as increased health care costs related to concerns of fat people not being seriously, or avoidance of care, leading to preventable issues being undiagnosed only until later stage of disease, which of course costs more to treat than preventative measures.
I heard a story recently regarding the military, where when they were building military planes, they couldn't decide how to build the seating to fit the pilots, so they decided to build based on the "average" man. This led to the planes not fitting anyBODY and changes were need to be made. When we build systems and health care for the "average" citizen, the most vulnerable often lose out and noBODY wins.
The Bill has LITTLE cost but the impact to Manitobans who are impacted is BIG.
Dr. Mary Forhan of Alberta has forthcoming research that reveals that providing small changes in the health care environment to accommodate larger bodied persons is minimal considering that having appropriately sized equipment leads to less days in hospital. Do you know how expensive one day in hospital in Manitoba is? $800 per day and $2000 per for intensive care. If even one larger bodied patient, spends one less day in hospital due to better equipment and care, that saves the province $800-$2000 per day, per person. Think of the savings over one year or over 10 years!
The argument regarding cost is not based in EVIDENCE. It is based in misconceptions and THAT is a SHAME.
Nevertheless, we persist.
If you have other ideas to help, please contact me. Let's work together to move this forward.
I debated whether or not to include this final statement but I thought it was important to address it even though it is difficult. I was saddened by one professional who works in health who spoke tonight in opposition to Bill 216. He recognized weight discrimination as a problem but recommended education instead. EDUCATION IS NOT ENOUGH. Visibility and representation are important. Bill 216 creates visibility for those of short stature or those of larger body, to know that their government sees them, and wants to ensure their systemic discrimination ends. The symbolic impact of the Bill passing is IMMEASURABLE. We would not say that sexism or racism can be solved by education ALONE. We understand that laws and visibility specific to oppressed groups have value. Education is not enough, Bill 216 is not enough. The work to end sizeism will continue everyday just as it continues for sexism and racism and other forms of oppression, even though those characteristics are recognized in the Human Rights Code.
So there you have it. Tonight's update was a long one but I thought it was important to share with you all. Please share this update and contact those in power of your opposition. Together, we can create change. Thanks agains to the national work of Dr. JIll Andrew in moving forward the national #sizeismsucks movement. We are all in this together.
In solidarity,
Lindsey Mazur
Manitobans Against Weight Stigma