December 5th 2018 - Bill S-252, Voluntary Blood Donations Act (An Act to amend the Blood Regulations) - BloodWatch.org & Senator Pamela Wallin, sponsor of the bill

Senator Poirier: Thank you, senator, for being here. I have heard concerns, because it has been in New Brunswick for awhile. I’m sure that a lot of the concerns I’m hearing are probably a lot of the same concerns that you have had or have heard that is bringing forth this bill. One of the concerns I have heard in New Brunswick — again, even lately, since you introduced the bill, I have had people from home approach me and talk to me about it — is what is the impact this will have on our voluntary system?

I’m wondering, is it too soon to evaluate if it has an impact? Do we have any statistics to claim this support that it is going to affect the voluntary system? Do you have any of that available or is it too early?

Senator Wallin: Thank you, senator. We have numbers that we can offer, which is if they are taking 300, 500 or 1000 people out of the system, then that is obviously going to have an impact.

I think in one of the documents that we have — Kat is more familiar with this, but this was a document obtained under freedom of information where there was a letter to the Government of Saskatchewan from Canadian Blood Services. They were making the point that they are already seeing, in their voluntary donor base, fluctuations in the donors aged 17 to 24, confusion and misunderstanding amongst donors over the distinction between Canadian Plasma Resources and Canadian Blood Services, and who is what. We were told of stories in New Brunswick where people went into Canadian Blood Services, the public collector, and said, “Can I give again? I was just here last week.” There was no record of them because they had been at CPR because it’s not really distinctive — that identification is not there yet.

It also has an impact, as Canadian Blood Services was explaining, in trying to explain to the Saskatchewan government that it then has additional costs for the public collector to go out and recruit and make sure they have to advertise and say be a good citizen and do this because the targeting is going towards that young generation.

Senator Poirier: Do we know, senator, if the 300 a week that you’re getting, are these 300 people a week that before were giving to the voluntary system and are no longer going there? Or are these 300 people who have started giving blood all of a sudden because they are getting paid for it? Is it affecting the voluntary system? That is what I’m trying to find out.

Senator Wallin: I’m not sure if we know that right off the top. Kat has more facts on this one.

Ms. Lanteigne: The Canadian Blood Services is the organization who can answer that. They are monitoring it as best they can. There is only so much access that they can have. They had about 20 people a week coming in to say, well, I went and I already — so then that’s a lot. It’s hard to monitor on one facility. What their argument has been, and the documentation that we have read and in our conversations with them, was the same behaviour has been mirrored now in New Brunswick. They are losing donors.

There is a book onThe New York Times list right now about the blood and the blood system and the author went to CPR. There is a whole chapter in there about what is happening in Canada. She interviews a lot of donors in the CPR clinic. They used to be donors to Canadian Blood Services. It’s just common — if there is a Canadian Blood Services on one side and you are going to donate but somebody else is offering you $50 and $80 the next time you return, then they are going to turn around and sell that bag for $400 on the international market for a profit, it’s pretty easy, especially if you’re a student.

Senator Poirier: Thank you. I want to jump to something different for a minute. Then, if I have time, I’ll come back.

I understand there are certain provinces which have prohibited blood donor compensation while other provinces have allowed it. New Brunswick is one of them. If Bill S-252 becomes law, how will it affect the provincial law? Does it infringe on provincial jurisdictions?

Senator Wallin: It’s not really a jurisdictional issue, if I understand it. Health Canada grants a licence to this company to set up shop. In Saskatchewan, there is a particular — I think there was some quid pro quo for the —

Ms. Lanteigne: They have to get an additional —

Senator Wallin: Yes, just use the microphone.

Senator Poirier: Doesn’t the province — Health Canada gives the okay that the provinces can do —

Senator Wallin: Do it with a licence, yes.

Senator Poirier: Don’t the provinces have to put in legislation in order for it to happen within the province?

Senator Wallin: They don’t have to. It was the other way around, which is why these other provinces acted. This company was able to set up and was setting up in places like Toronto and everywhere. The government of the day, the provincial government, had to then respond, because the licences come from Ottawa and say, no, you can’t set up shop here. It’s the flip side.

Senator Poirier: Okay. If the bill was in place then the provinces have no say in it. Is that what you’re telling me?

Senator Wallin: The licence wouldn’t be granted because that comes from the federal side.

Senator Poirier: The ones that are there now, would they lose?

Senator Wallin: There would be no new ones. Whether they grandfathered them out or — I don’t know what the approach would be — we would like to see them closed, obviously. Even at this moment, a moratorium on granting — I think there was something like 18 licence requests in the system right now.

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