WINNIPEG — The Manitoba government is planning to do away with paper health cards and switch to more durable plastic and digital ones.

Finance Minister Adrien Sala says the move is among many promises from last year’s provincial election campaign that will be fulfilled in the budget on Tuesday.

The NDP government says the new cards will be more secure and easier to use to access services.

It says the change will also help clear a backlog of applications for the current paper cards and that the application process will be soon be streamlined.

Sala took part in a pre-budget tradition of unboxing new shoes.

He handed out new pairs of shoes to several health-care workers at the Victoria Hospital in Winnipeg.

“We know how important of a role (workers) play in delivering health care to Manitobans, so today is about honouring them,” Sala said Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Match 28, 2024.

The Canadian Press