Special Olympics participants deserved more from Higgs government

On Friday, the government of New Brunswick finally “wished Team NB the experience of a lifetime,” not good luck or that they are proud of the participants of the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Calgary. The government has also not celebrated the medals won to date. I used the term finally, as it was the second last day of the games.

When New Brunswick “able bodied” athletes are heading off to the Canada Games, the Pan Am games, the Olympics, this government does a large send-off at the Legislature, names flag bearers and even sends multiple MLAs to sit in the stands and cheer them on.

Although the PC Government of New Brunswick has been openly ableist, this has been the most egregious example of systemic ableism to date. What did these athletes ever do to the government, except represent their province really well at the Special Olympics Canada Game, winning multiple medals? Government policies force us to live in legislated poverty, deny us access to proper accessible transit, force us to live squalor, deny us the right to get married and more.

Whether you believe in PC policies or not, this stance by Premier Blaine Higgs should enrage all in New Brunswick. These are young athletes who have been systemically dismissed by this government and told they are not as worthy or as important as other athletes in New Brunswick. Shame on this government!

According to the latest Statistics Canada data, more than one third of New Brunswick’s population aged 15 years and older, 35.3 per cent, have one or more disabilities. We will not forget the systemic ableism demonstrated by the Higgs government.

Shelley Petit is the chair of the New Brunswick Coalition of Persons with Disabilities.