Media Release

College of Pharmacists of Manitoba Strategic Plan Puts Focus on Equity, Professional Guidance, and Patient Awareness 

Winnipeg, MB, February 1, 2022 — Health Equity, Professional Guidance, and Patient Awareness are the pillars of the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba’s (CPhM) Strategic Plan released today. The plan outlines the priorities Manitoba’s pharmacy regulator will focus on over the next three years.

“Pharmacists are valued and important members of the health care team for all Manitobans,” Health Minister Audrey Gordon said. “The three pillars of the College’s Strategic Plan demonstrate an openness and willingness to embrace progressive change that advances the regulation of pharmacy in Manitoba to serve the public interest, patient safety, and access to care, all while involving Manitobans in that process.”

“Patients are at the heart of everything we do as pharmacists, regardless of our practice setting,” said Wendy Clark, President of the College of Pharmacist of Manitoba. “We will keep advancing the regulation of pharmacy practice in Manitoba in support of our vision, mission and our mandate to uphold the public interest.”

The priorities outlined in the plan include actions that will:  promote equitable access to pharmacy and regulatory services; foster professional and care environments free from racism and discrimination; and advance practice and regulation in a way that is consistent with modern professional guidance and providing safe, ethical care.

Strategic Priorities of the Three-Year Strategic Plan:

1. Support pharmacy professionals in effectively delivering services that meet the social and cultural needs of all patients. 

   Indigenous Reconciliation will be a primary focus of CPhM’s first efforts to ensure equitable access to pharmacy care and CPhM services. Ultimately, our goal is to promote equitable access to pharmacy care and CPhM services for all equity-seeking groups.As a first step to fostering cultural competence, CPhM staff have already completed Indigenous cultural safety training. CPhM Council will begin Indigenous cultural safety training in early 2022 and a cultural competence program is being developed for pharmacy professionals.

2. Promote quality pharmacy services by ensuring pharmacy professionals are aware of and adhere to professional standards and expectations. 

   Over the last decade, pharmacists have expanded the scope of their work and taken on a larger role as experts in managing drug therapy. As the scope and complexity of pharmacy practice expands, regulations and standards need to keep pace. The regulator’s role is to make sure that pharmacy care meets quality standards in this complex, changing environment. Setting expectations that support safe, ethical care may need a new approach.CPhM will advance this priority by improving its continuing competency program for pharmacy professionals and using best practices to help pinpoint and share professional guidance.

3. Promote safety in pharmacy services and ethical practice 

   Pharmacy professionals must provide safe, unbiased, and ethical care that supports the health and well-being of patients. Inducements such as loyalty programs or points and rewards earned on prescription drugs conflict with professional ethics, especially when this places patients in a position of weighing economic benefits against essential healthcare decisions. Several other provincial pharmacy regulators already prohibit inducements on prescription drugs including Alberta (2017), British Columbia (2016), Quebec (2008), Prince Edward Island (2012), Ontario (2004), and Newfoundland and Labrador (1998).CPhM will advance this priority by raising patient awareness of the risks of inducement programs being applied to prescription drugs and working to eliminate inducements on prescription drugs.

For more information about CPhM’s Strategic Plan 2021-24, please visit

cphm.ca/about-the-college/strategic-plan

About The College of Pharmacists of Manitoba

The College of Pharmacists of Manitoba (CPhM) was established in 1878 and is the pharmacy regulatory and licensing authority in Manitoba.  The legislated mandate of CPhM is to protect the public interest in pharmacy practice with a mission to support the health and well-being of the public by ensuring and promoting safe, patient-centred, and progressive pharmacy practice in collaboration with other health-care providers.

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For more information, please contact:

Anja Sadovski 

Communications Coordinator

Email: asadovski@cphm.ca