Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak in favour of this bill, whose main objective is to raise awareness about the importance of becoming a blood donor and to encourage more people to give blood.
The date selected is June 14. That date coincides with the day set aside each year by the World Health Organization on which to commend and thank those who give the most precious gift of all, the gift of life.
In many circumstances, having a blood transfusion can often save a life. The World Health Organization, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Society of Blood Transfusion and the International Federation of Blood Donor Organizations have chosen Canada to host this year's World Blood Donor Day, which will be held on June 14.
The Bloc adds its voice and agrees to vote in favour of this bill. June 14 was adopted in honour of researcher Karl Landsteiner. He was born on June 14, 1968, in Vienna, Austria, and died on June 24, 1943. He discovered the first system of classification of blood groups, or the ABO blood group system. A number of member states of the World Health Organization will work together and are associated with this World Health Day. The 192 member states of the WHO, 181 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and 50 volunteer blood donor organizations have also agreed to support this World Blood Day.
In this context, we are in favour of this bill to respond to the request from Héma-Québec and Canadian Blood Services and to join this global awareness initiative. Those who give their blood do something significant that some describe as heroic.
Currently, Héma-Québec and Canadian Blood Services collect only 1.1 million units of blood from between 3% to 4% of eligible donors, which is not enough to meet the needs. Furthermore, the need for units of blood is increasing.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank, along with those who give blood, the thousands of volunteers who work at blood donor clinics.
The following is an overview of the needs, which are great. It is a daily challenge because blood components are perishable. For example, a platelet is viable for just five days and blood components are viable for six days. We have an important role to play to maintain an adequate supply. Every 80 seconds someone needs blood. A liver transplant requires 100 units of blood; a blood transfusion following a car accident or a bullet injury requires 50 units of blood; a hip replacement or a brain aneurysm may require six to eight units of blood. We also need blood for cancer cases. We know that 137,000 cases of cancer are diagnosed every year and hip replacements have increased by 2%.
In that context, we need more blood donors in order to have more units of blood. We must not forget that Héma-Québec was created at the height of the tainted blood scandal. This was a terrible scandal affecting thousands of victims in Quebec and Canada. Some 1,200 people were infected with the AIDS virus and 12,000 others were infected with the hepatitis C virus.
The different governments and parties that have been in power—whether Liberal or Conservative—were tight-fisted and delayed compensating all victims of tainted blood. It is sad to see that they had to wait at least a decade before being compensated. First an inquiry was held and then the victims had to wait five or six years more.
Even today, although satisfied with the $1 billion settlement, the victims find it difficult to accept that there was no compensation while waiting for the final settlement. $20,000 could have been made available while awaiting the final settlement.
This horrible tragedy could not be ignored. We know that expertise and a great deal of vigilance are required of those responsible for blood collection. Health Canada has some responsibility with regard to tainted blood.
I would also like to mention another aspect of this issue that has not been touched on today. Members of certain religions are told to refuse blood transfusions. Refusing treatment is a little difficult for me to understand although I realize that we are free to refuse or accept medical treatment. There is one religious group, the Jehovah's Witnesses, that tells its members to refuse any blood transfusion, because it is contrary to their religious beliefs.
I find this sad because a lot of work is being done to get people interested in giving blood. If a religious group does not allow its members to receive blood transfusions, people could die.
One of my constituents, Jonathan Lavoie, watched his brother die because he refused to receive a blood transfusion. He could not accept a transfusion because the Jehovah's Witnesses tell their members to refuse such medical treatment.
We recognize that refusing treatment is a fundamental human right and that it is difficult to oppose that choice when people make it consciously. But in what context does a person make that decision? Is the person sufficiently informed to refuse or accept a blood transfusion?
Today, on behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I am happy to speak in favour of adopting World Blood Donor Day given that on June 14, Canada will host World Blood Donor Day. The Bloc Québécois will have done its part in agreeing to host this day in Canada and Quebec.