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Manitoba 2023 provincial election

Arthritis affects more than 650,000 Manitoba residents. It is the leading cause of disability in Manitoba and a significant economic burden related to direct healthcare costs and indirect costs to the economy related to lost employment, sick leave, and absenteeism.

Health care delivery (46%) and cost of living issues (47%) are by far the two highest named issues by Manitoba voters leading up to the May 29, 2023 provincial election. The way people living with arthritis access and receive healthcare varies significantly across Manitoba. This is particularly pronounced outside of the Greater Calgary and Edmonton regions. This adversely affects Manitoba voters living with inflammatory arthritis – like rheumatoid arthritis – who depend on getting a timely and accurate diagnosis, fast access to rheumatologists, and appropriate public reimbursement for needed disease-modifying medications.

Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE) has asked the leading political parties running in the Manitoba provincial election what their government, if elected, would do to improve the level of arthritis prevention, treatment, and care in Manitoba.

Any responses received by ACE will be archived and posted as they arrive.

ACE survey and party responses

ACE letter sent to each candidate included: Party responses to survey Individual Candidate Responses
This section will be updated as we receive responses from individual candidates.

Questions Voiced by the Public and Patients with Arthritis
  • Will you consider arthritis a health priority for Manitoba and implement high quality, standardized evidence-based models of arthritis care for all Manitoba residents, urban and rural?
  • How do you plan to continue and improve virtual care?
  • What will your government do to improve the healthcare and lives of Indigenous Peoples living with arthritis in Arthritis?
  • Will you take steps to increase the number of rheumatologists and trained arthritis professionals to ensure timely, specialized care for Manitoba patients with arthritis?
  • Will you improve joint replacement surgery wait times so that they are within medically recommended guidelines?
  • What will you do to improve access to early treatment and pain management for rural residents in Manitoba living with osteoarthritis who are at risk for increased disease severity and reduced quality of life?
Any questions received by ACE will be posted anonymously.

Ways to vote
To make voting easier for all voters, Elections Manitoba has provided several options, including voting on election day, advance poll and vote by mail.

Helpful Resources