Asking in the Legislature about funding for continuous glucose monitors, software for cochlear implants and to address long wait lists for eating disorders.

On Wednesday May 3, the first day we were back in session in the Legislature, I asked during a Supply motion, about three items which I have been hearing a lot of need for. These were funding for continuous glucose monitors for adults with type 1 diabetes, funding for software updates for cochlear implants and funding to address the long wait list for eating disorders. My questions and the Minister of Finance's response from Hansard is below.

Mr. Gerrard: The Minister of Finance may know that we are getting lots and lots of people very concerned about the need for expenditures related to people who have type 1 diabetes who need continuous glucose monitoring; the people who have and need cochlear implant changes and need software up-dates, and these are, of course, things which are very important–hearing and good glucose-control - even during a pandemic.

I wonder if any of these expenditures will go to those sorts of expenditures. And also there's tremendously long waiting lists for people with eating disorders. I think it's now two years.

Is the minister going to address these things, because these are the result in part of the COVID pandemic, the eating disorder increase that's been seen elsewhere as well.

Mr. Fielding: And obviously there's a number of groups that are speaking of these issues. They are important issues. We do consider that during our budget consultation. We're happy that we've consulted close to 50,000 Manitobans in our virtual as well as town hall types of sessions as well as individuals, so decisions can be considered through the budget process, and that will be coming up.

This budget bill is to deal with more COVID‑related expenditures, as well as emergency expenditures that would be associated with it, but future decisions will be made. I think I have an opportunity to meet with a number of the groups that you're referring to on Friday, and so I'll personally have an opportunity to listen to what their concerns are and evaluate that, and of course the Minister of Health would be involved in any of those types of decisions.

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