Manitoba's accessibility minister apologizes for comments about sign language interpreter

Manitoba's accessibility minister is apologizing to the Deaf community for comments she made about a sign language interpreter that were caught on a hot mic.

Minister Nahanni Fontaine made the comments while preparing to speak to reporters following a speech during a graduation event she hosted for Indigenous women Thursday. A sign language interpreter was with her on stage during the speech.

Video taken by APTN shows Fontaine discussing her performance with a person off-camera, apparently unaware the camera was recording. The recording shows the minister saying she was "thrown off" because of the interpreter.

"I couldn't see anybody on this side," Fontaine said. "And all I could see was her —"

"Frantic hand movements?" the other person said.

"Yeah, I'm like, 'F--k, why did I have her on the stage?' Jesus! I'm like, 'you need to leave,'" the minister is heard saying in the APTN video.

The Opposition Progressive Conservatives called on Fontaine, the NDP member for St. Johns, to apologize and immediately resign from her role as accessibility minister, saying in social media posts Friday it's a responsibility "she clearly does not respect."

Fontaine said in a statement she was expressing frustration about "her poor planning ensuring clear sight lines on all graduates" during a private debrief with staff.

"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 said in the statement.

The minister said she spoke with the sign language interpreter to offer her a personal apology, and to thank her for her work.

"I also sincerely apologize to the Deaf community and to all Manitobans for my comments," Fontaine said.

Barrier-Free Manitoba said in a statement it's aware of the recording, pointing out all Manitobans are entitled to accessible communication, including ASL translation, during public events under the Accessibility for Manitobans Act.

The statement said the organization hopes Fontaine and her colleagues "will respond by reinforcing the act's mandate — ensuring accessible public communications through robust education and compliance."

"Leadership means setting the tone from the top, and we trust the government will act decisively to uphold the dignity and inclusion rights" of the Deaf and hard of hearing communities, the statement said.