Manitoba’s NDP government sets timeline for dropping breast screening age to 40 after PCs tried to make it law

Posted on October 10, 2024 by Peggy

Manitoba’s health minister announced plans to lower the breast cancer screening age to 40 on the same morning the legislature was debating an Official Opposition bill that would have legislated the same thing.

Uzoma Asagwara said Thursday that the minimum age for self-referrals in the province will drop to 40 by December 2026.

The NDP government said last month that the eligibility age would drop to 45 from the current 50 by the end of next year and promised to cut it to 40 at some unspecified date.

At the time, Progressive Conservative health critic Kathleen Cook said in a statement the promise to eventually lower the age to 40 is “simply not good enough” and that the province needs “concrete action and a solid, transparent plan.”

Cook went on to introduce a private member’s bill in October that set a hard deadline of Dec. 31, 2026, for lowering the self-referral screening age to 40. The bill received second reading on Thursday morning.

That same morning, Asagwara denied the government was setting its own date because of pressure from the Tories.

‘Your voices being heard’

“I want to be very clear: this is our government’s response to the advocacy of breast cancer patients, survivors, women and those across our province who have been impacted,” the minister said.

“We have been listening to their voices, we have been meeting with them, we’ve been meeting with you. And this step today is a direct result of all of your voices coming to the table, coming to our offices, coming to our communities, and your voices being heard.”

During question period Thursday afternoon, Cook continued to push for her bill, which legislates the timeline, to become law.

All other provinces have either recently lowered the age or laid out timelines to do so after a draft of new Canadian screening guidelines suggested people be allowed to request a mammogram starting at age 40, but that mammograms not be routinely done under age 50.

The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care — a Public Health Agency of Canada-created panel of health professionals that offers guidlines for health-care practitioners — “does not recommend regular screenings for women under 50 who are of average risk,” a spokesperson previously told CBC News.

A person in a striped dark blue blazer with a white shirt stands in the hallway. — Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said the government has already been working for months to build up capacity so the province can provide more breast cancer screenings. (Justin Fraser/CBC)

In Manitoba’s case, Asagwara said lowering the age to 40 is “a really aggressive timeline,” but the work involved in hiring approximately 13 more mammography technologists and adding screening appointments is important.

The government has been working toward these improvements for months already, Asagwara said.

“To Manitobans who are asking why not do this faster, I want to reassure them: we are working as fast and as hard as we can to make sure we can lower the breast screening age, build capacity and get this care to women and those who need it across our province,” Asagwara said.

Manitoba currently recommends routine mammogram screening every two years for women and gender-diverse people age 50 to 74 without needing a doctor’s referral. Routine screenings aren’t recommended for people under 50 or over 74, although doctors can refer older or younger patients for mammograms.

Women age 40 to 49 can self-refer to breast screening programs in Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Yukon. The government in Newfoundland and Labrador says it will get to 40.

Saskatchewan is following suit using a phased approach that will be in effect in January.

Both the Northwest Territories and Alberta have routine screening starting at age 45.