Hormone replacement therapy for women may be coming to Manitoba

Premier Wab Kinew spoke at a B.C. election rally Thursday. (CTV News)

Premier Wab Kinew said during a Vancouver, B.C. election rally that his government is looking to B.C. healthcare which includes funding hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for women in the province.

He met with British Columbia’s Premier David Eby Thursday and spoke about what his government has been able to accomplish.

During Kinew’s remarks, Kinew said as soon as he took office the Manitoba government started working to emulate B.C.’s plan for universal coverage of birth control which took effect April 2023.

It was announced in August that birth control will be free for all Manitobans starting Oct. 1.

While Kinew was in B.C. Thursday, Eby announced his government was the first province to reach a pharmacare deal with the federal government.

The agreement will allow B.C. to fund HRT for women.

“There are so many ways your government is leading the way and when I heard the announcement today about HRT I was like, ‘Looks like we are going to copy them again,” Kinew said.

There were no timelines or schedules attached to the statement.

The B.C. PharmaCare deal is worth an estimated $195 million and could start by April.

The coverage that was earmarked for birth control will instead go to HRT for women because birth control is covered provincially in B.C.

B.C.’s Health Minister Adrian Dix estimated that 40,000 women could benefit from this HRT coverage in that province.

“British Columbia has been a leader in access to universal contraceptives and countless of other aspects of healthcare and Manitoba is happy to continue to take their good ideas and see what is possible in a Manitoba context,” a spokesperson for the Manitoba government said in an emailed statement.