Bill 216 could still be revived and while we were initially told the PC House Leader had the power to revive it, the decision now lies in the hands of the Honourable Minister Cliff Cullen. (The power of 24 hours in politics!) You do not have to live in Manitoba to send this email or a version of it out to support. Please forward this time sensitive advocacy opportunity to supporters. Minister Cullen has until end of the work day, central time, on Thursday, November 8th, to make his decision. I suggest we mobilize and get the below email out between Friday, November 2nd to Sunday, November 4th to have on his desk bright and early Monday morning. Items in BOLD below are for you to personalize your letter, if you wish. Here's what to send: 

Copy and paste the following:

In the address line: cliff.cullen@leg.gov.mb.ca; minjus@leg.gov.mb.ca; manitobansagainstweightstigma@gmail.com

In the subject line: Education is not enough – Pass Bill 216
 
In the body of the email (with your personalizations added):

Dear Honourable Cliff Cullen, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Manitoba,
 
I have heard of the recent Committee Meeting decision on Bill 216, that was voted “no”, 6-4 on October 31st, 2018 and that the PC members did not agree to "leave" for the Bill to go forward when the request was made by a member of the opposition after question period on November 1st, 2018. It is my understanding, that there is still time for this decision to be reversed.
 
With that, I am writing as a/on behalf of (Little Person, Larger bodied person, Fat person, health care professional, researcher, educator, an employer, concerned citizen, activist, other) to request that you urgently reconsider and agree to pass Bill 216.
 
I have read your comments to the media regarding Bill 216: “We … heard from several presenters (at the hearings) who told us that more education about human rights for those suffering from physical size and weight discrimination would help ensure that more Manitobans know they can make a complaint on those grounds under the existing code.” (Source: National Post, Nov. 1, 18).
 
I want to stress that education is not enough. The existing human rights code in Manitoba is not enough. Even though those who face discrimination may be able to go to the Manitoba Human Rights Commission under the current code under Section 9(1)(a) with a complaint, Manitobans don’t know this. Even if education was provided to Manitobans that they could go forward with a complaint under Section 9(1)(a), this is not enough. Here’s why…
 
In some instances, where cases of sizeism were brought forward to the Human Rights Commission, they needed to “prove” that they had a disability for the claim to be considered legitimate, despite the existence of Section 9(1)(a). I am a (Little Person or Have a larger body or am Fat) and I do not consider myself to have disability related to my size. I am able-bodied. OR Many little people or those with larger bodies are healthy and able-bodied and should not have to be considered as “a person with a disability” to have the same human rights.
 
Research shows “how mere knowledge of such legislation [prohibiting weight discrimination] may improve psychological well-being of individuals who have experienced unfair treatment due to weight,” (Pearl, Puhl & Dovidio, 2017). In other words, simply knowing that a person with a larger body would be protected under legislation from discrimination improves their health. The symbolic nature of this law change should not be discounted as evidenced by this study and could have long-term positive impacts on the health of those who face sizeism. 
 
Over 45,000 supporters disagree that the current code is “enough” to provide protections based on size and weight as evidenced by the petition to make size and weight discrimination illegal across Canada which includes over 9,300 signatures of support for the Manitoba petition. The Little People of Manitoba have also launched a petition in support of Bill 216 on November 1, 2018. 
 
A survey found that, “The majority of participants in the US, Canada, and Australia agreed that their government should have specific laws in place to prohibit weight discrimination,” (Puhl et al, 2015). I want to note the wording of “specific laws” here as this is important to the Canadian public and abroad to see laws specifically to protect those based on size and weight.
 
Put in another way, we would never say that education to decrease sexism or racism is enough. We also acknowledge that sexism and racism still exist despite specific acknowledgement of these characteristics in human rights codes. We also recognize the importance of specifically acknowledging historically oppressed groups. Visibility, through specific and deliberate action, such as recognition through law, has been a key step in acknowledging discrimination’s impact and is a spring board for societal change. The history of  evolution of human rights laws have showed us this. We are now on the verge of doing this with sizeism, with Bill 216.
 
Finally, further to your comments about the Bill, it is our understanding that all presenters who spoke to Bill 216, spoke in favour of passing the Bill, except one individual who recommended education-all others recommended the passing of Bill 216 and appropriate education as key steps to decreasing sizeism. Please listen to the voices of the majority of Manitobans, please listen to the research provided here, please move Bill 216 forward for a fairer, more inclusive Manitoba. It is with a change in law, and the increased visibility that it brings, that the real change will begin to happen. 
 
Sincerely, 

(your name, credentials, location, organizational affiliations)