Mr. Speaker, over 3,500 Canadians are waiting for an organ transplant and 150 of them will die every single year. Tragically, we have among the lowest organ donor rates of any country in the developed world. Six years ago the government passed an action plan to fix this problem, yet it has not been implemented.
The following are the most important recommendations: first, make an organ donor form available in every patient's chart in every family doctor's office in Canada; second, set up a real time database for potential organ donors and recipients; third, appoint a national organ transplant coordinator and ensure that brain death reporting to that coordinator is mandatory; fourth, ensure a pool of funds is available to ensure that all transplants are carried out; and fifth, make EI available for all living donors during their convalescence.
April 20 to 27 is organ donor week. It is a good time for the government to implement this plan.