Manitoba Health Minister Theresa Oswald suggested at a recent news conference that there wasn’t a large difference between Manitoba and Saskatchewan’s approaches to the ‘liberation treatment’ for multiple sclerosis.

The controversial MS treatment, which was developed by Italian vascular specialist Paolo Zamboni, involves unblocking veins to normalize blood flow from the brain, and is unavailable in Canada. While some Canadians who have received the treatment overseas attest to its positive effects, there is a great deal of skepticism.

The two provinces have been at least somewhat different in their approaches, however, since Saskatchewan began funding clinical trials.

Saskatchewan’s Premier, Brad Wall, said: “We know there's not unanimity amongst the various groups out there about this particular treatment but we know anecdotally, and to some extent empirically, that there's reason for hope here.”

This development has put Manitoba and other provinces under considerable pressure from their MS sufferers, who are convinced of the effectiveness of the treatment. In defense of her and presumably others’ positions on the matter, Ms. Oswald said that Mr. Wall was not actually funding trials, but had announced a willingness to provide funding when there was enough evidence in the research community. In this respect, the provinces are alike. Ms. Oswald has said that Manitoba is preparing funding as well so that it’s ready as soon as the evidence is there.

“I think it’s important to clarify that indeed there aren’t clinical trials going on anywhere in Canada.”