Latest news with #FamiliesMinister
CTV News
7 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Cabinet minister moving forward following remarks
Winnipeg Watch Following a controversial 'hot mic' comment about an ASL interpreter, Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine says she is working to turn the page.
CTV News
14-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Manitoba minister to take part in deaf culture training following hot mic comments
Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine is apologizing after being caught on a hot mic complaining about an ASL interpreter at an event. Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine is apologizing after being caught on a hot mic complaining about an ASL interpreter at an event. Manitoba's families minister will be taking part in deaf culture training after video emerged of her complaining about sharing a stage with an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter. In a video posted to Instagram on Sunday, Nahanni Fontaine outlined the steps that she and her team will be undergoing to take responsibility. 'I know words alone aren't enough. So, I want to be clear about the action I and my team are taking,' she said. 'My team and I will undergo deaf and deaf culture training to deepen our understanding, confront gaps and ensure our actions reflect true respect and inclusion, not just intention.' Fontaine said she is committed to making every public event fully accessible and will work with ASL interpreters to ensure they have what they need to do their job. She added the government will also be hiring an ASL interpreter to support all departments. 'I will be appointing a deaf or hard of hearing matriarch to join us in the matriarch circle, so that lived expertise is also at the heart of our work,' she said. 'We are finalizing engagement on the last of Manitoba's accessibility standards -- Accessible Design of Outdoor Public Spaces -- and preparing to launch that process very soon.' The minister's comments come just over two weeks after APTN National News captured a hot mic moment that followed Fontaine's speech at a grad ceremony where she was accompanied on stage by an ASL interpreter. While preparing to speak to reporters after the speech, Fontaine told one of her staff members that she was thrown off by the interpreter's presence, adding that she shouldn't have been on stage. The staff member then asked if the interpreter's 'frantic hand movements' were distracting, with Fontaine replying, 'Yeah…Why did I have her stage?' Premier Wab Kinew said he has discussed the matter with Fontaine, and she will stay on as minister responsible for services for people with disabilities.
Globe and Mail
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Manitoba's Accessibility Minister apologizes for ‘demeaning' comment about sign-language interpreter
Manitoba's Accessibility Minister is apologizing after she was heard on video using 'demeaning' language while questioning why a sign-language interpreter had been placed on the stage with her at a recent event. Nahanni Fontaine was preparing to speak with reporters during a gala celebrating Indigenous graduates in late June when she made the off-the-cuff comments, voicing her frustrations using an expletive with a member of her staff, which was captured on a hot mic. Over the past week, Ms. Fontaine, who is also Families Minister in Premier Wab Kinew's government, has been told by many deaf Manitobans and community groups that they have lost trust in her ability to represent them, and that she should step down from her position as Accessibility Minister. Ms. Fontaine declined interview requests from The Globe and Mail, writing in a statement that she is sincerely apologetic. 'During a private debrief with my staff, I was reflecting on my public speaking performance and remarked I had been distracted by the interpreter's hand movements. I was expressing frustration on my poor planning,' she said. 'My comments were unacceptable.' Mr. Kinew said it has been tough to see people being hurt by Ms. Fontaine's comments. But he emphasized that he remains in the minister's corner. 'Our minister has apologized and is putting in the work with the community,' the Premier told reporters at an unrelated event Friday. 'It's with the greatest of humility that I want to ask folks in the deaf community to keep working with her.' At the gala, the first annual Mino'Ayaawag Ikwewag Celebration of Indigenous Women Graduates, Ms. Fontaine agreed with her staffer, Ryan Stelter, when he compared American Sign Language (ASL) to 'frantic hand movements.' Using a four-letter profanity to express exasperation about not having a clear sightline of the audience because of the interpreter, Ms. Fontaine was captured on video saying: 'Why did I have her on the stage? Like, Jesus, I'm like, you need to leave.' The interpreter was removed from the stage for other speeches. Deborah Owczar, who is Métis, was one of the women being honoured, having received a certificate in child and youth care from Red River College Polytechnic. She attended with her daughter, Stephanie Jebb, and had repeatedly requested ASL interpretation for the event. Ms. Owczar and Ms. Jebb, both of whom are deaf, told The Globe that watching Ms. Fontaine kick out the interpreter was humiliating and disrespectful. 'My right to communication access was taken away. I no longer felt like I belonged in that room,' Ms. Owczar said. 'She has lost my trust – and the trust of many.' The mother and daughter said they felt exhausted and demoralized as they attempted to follow the proceedings. 'We were made to feel invisible. It turned a moment of empowerment into one of erasure,' Ms. Jebb said. 'Her reaction made it clear that she lacks both experience and cultural humility.' Ms. Owczar said Alex Krosney, the chief of staff for Ms. Fontaine, sent an apology note to her late last week, shortly after her family had spoken with The Globe and other media outlets. She said it felt insincere and 'read more like a generic PR response than a genuine effort to reach out or make amends.' She worries the incident was just one harmful stereotype about deaf people caught on camera. 'It seems this kind of behaviour may be typical for her,' she added. 'It also makes you wonder what she says behind closed doors.' Jo-anne Jones, president of the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association's Manitoba chapter, agreed, suggesting it illustrates a broader pattern. 'It's just so very demeaning, unbelievably so. I'm no longer sure she's the right minister for this job,' Ms. Jones said in an interview. 'This is a person who should be very comfortable with interpreters. Saying you're distracted by ASL is the equivalent of saying you're distracted by a person speaking in English or Cree next to you, helping others understand your very words.' Shawna Joynt, president of the Manitoba Deaf Association, said she held a meeting with Ms. Fontaine on Wednesday, where the minister committed to 'learn and make improvements from this huge misstep.' Using ASL in a transcribed video statement to The Globe, Ms. Joynt said the association will 'continue to be by her side' in an advisory capacity. 'We know this will not sit well with everyone,' she said.
CTV News
27-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Minister apologizes for ‘hot mic' comment
Winnipeg Watch Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine is apologizing after being caught on a hot mic complaining about an ASL interpreter at an event.
CTV News
27-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Minister Fontaine apologizes for comments caught on hot mic
Manitoba Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine's comments were captured by APTN National News following a speech at a grad ceremony on June 26, 2025. (Jared Delorme/APTN National News) Warning: this article contains strong language Manitoba's Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine, who's responsible for accessibility in the province, was caught on camera complaining about sharing the stage with an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter. The 'hot mic' moment was captured by APTN National News on Thursday after Fontaine had delivered a speech at a grad ceremony. Fontaine had been accompanied on stage by an ASL interpreter as she delivered the speech. Following the speech, Fontaine was preparing to speak with the media. While in front of the camera, she was seen and heard speaking with her aide about the speech. 'I was thrown off—it wasn't great—but, because the woman, she shouldn't have been on the stage. I couldn't see anybody on the side,' Fontaine is heard saying. 'All I could see was her.' Fontaine then begins waving her hands, to which her aide responded describing the ASL interpreter's signing as 'frantic hand movements.' 'Yeah. So, I'm like f**k, why did I have her on stage?' Fontaine said in response. 'I'm like, 'Jesus.' I'm like, 'You need to leave.'' CTV News reached out to Fontaine and was given a written statement. Fontaine said the exchange was a private debrief with her staff. 'I was reflecting on my public speaking performance and remarked I had been distracted by the interpreter's hand movements,' the statement reads in part 'My comments did not acknowledge signing is not simply 'hand movements,' but a full and rich language used by thousands of Manitobans every day.' She goes on to write, 'I also sincerely apologize to the Deaf community and to all Manitobans for my comments.' Fontaine said she spoke directly with the interpreter to offer a personal apology. She went on to say, as minister responsible for accessibility, her team always includes ASL interpreters, which she described as an integral part of her public events.
