The Manitoba government has introduced digital health cards in a step toward digitalizing the provincial health care system, a move the government says will make health care more accessible for residents in the province.
The move comes about a year after the province switched from paper health cards to plastic ones. The premier said the move to digital cards was a “practical step” for the province.
Through the MB Wallet app, residents can carry their digital health card on their smartphones, which they can present to receive care, without needing to carry a physical card, according to a government news release. Manitobans can have a plastic card, a digital card, or both, the government said.
The premier noted the digital card was not mandatory, but another option that residents would have for health care.
“We’re not making you get a digital ID. Totally optional. It’s up to you. If this is going to make your life easier, get a digital health card. If you prefer the plastic health card, that’s still there, and if you just like the paper card ... you can do that too,” he said.
Asagwara said the card is already available for those who are registered.
“No waiting, no delays. This is about making health care more accessible and responsive for families across the province,” Asagwara said.
The minister added that children’s cards are linked to their parents’, and that parents can present their child’s digital health card for care.
Electronic Patient Records
The health minister said the government was looking at moving more documentation online.“Our goal is to have a provincial electronic patient record system by 2027 in conjunction with, of course, having a digital wallet, with having the ability to access your lab records, and then going from there.”
Kinew said the move to digitalize more government and resident information—including hunting and fishing licenses, and timber permits—would be coming “hopefully in months.”
“So when you’re going to go cut wood for your logging operation, you can make sure that you got that permit in the Manitoba wallet,” he said.
The estimated cost of the move was not released, but Asagwara said the province had allocated dollars in every single budget year for “modernizing the health care system.”
“From day one, our government has built in capacity to make sure that we’re taking steps in the right direction to modernize and digitize the health care system. We’ve actually got a plan in place. We’ve put governance in place,” Asagwara said.
The province introduced plastic cards to replace paper cards in 2025, saying at the time is was part of a “broader investment” to move toward electronic patient records.
Ottawa Pilots Digital ID
The federal government has recently confirmed it is testing digital versions of physical credentials with the launch of two digital ID and wallet apps.ESDC said it has also been developing an app called GC Wallet.
The department said the two apps, available on the Google Play store, are being tested with a small group in two pilot projects, one for Transport Canada and the other for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Transport Canada was testing digital licenses for aviation personnel that were the equivalent of paper licenses, while IRCC was testing a digital version of temporary visas for Moroccan visitors, ESDC said at the time.
The department said the use of digital versions of traditional credentials “will remain voluntary and optional.”
Then-parliamentary secretary to the minister of Citizens’ Services Stéphane Lauzon said the federal government was not planning to launch a digital ID system or to make one mandatory.
