Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to speak to Motion No. 189, which calls on the government to reiterate its commitment to facilitate collaboration and support for a Canadian organ and tissue donation and transplantation system.
I would like to thank my colleague, the member for Thérèse-De Blainville, for raising this issue in the House and for the excellent and diligent work he does on the Standing Committee on Health. The government is proud to support this motion.
The government is pleased to support this motion. This is an important issue for the health of Canadians. The need for organs is great. There are many diseases and health conditions that damage one or more vital organs or impair their function. An organ transplant is often the best and sometimes the only way to treat the condition or to improve the quality of life for an individual.
While many types of organs can now be successfully transplanted, such as hearts, lungs, pancreas, livers, intestines, kidneys are by far the most needed in Canada. Often kidney disease is associated with other medical conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. To help Canadians reduce the risk of chronic diseases and conditions like these, our government is contributing to efforts that promote healthy living.
There are many different kidney diseases and disorders. Some kidney diseases are detected at birth and others develop as we grow older. In 2015, over 35,000 Canadians were living with end-stage kidney disease. The best option for many is to receive a kidney transplant, and they must wait until a suitable organ becomes available for them. Meanwhile they often need regular dialysis to maintain their health.
Where do these organs come from? Though many may be somewhat familiar with the idea of organ donation and have discussed their wishes with their families, I would like to explain what is involved so members can fully appreciate the needs and challenges in making the system work.
As humans have two kidneys, sometimes it is possible for someone to donate a kidney while someone is still alive. It is also possible to donate part of a liver, lung, intestine, or pancreas. These are called living donations. I would like to take a moment to honour all those who have made a living donation. Approximately 500 Canadians a year step forward to do so. It is an incredibly valued, selfless and altruistic act.
I would also like to recognize and remember all those individuals who have died but were able to donate after death. I will repeat the words of Hélène Campbell, a double-lung transplant recipient, who says the following on her website:
To my donor, and to their family; no words can express how grateful I am for the precious gift you gave me. Thank you for allowing me to have a second chance and for giving me this 'second wind'.
Indeed, it is family members who, in those most difficult of moments, may be asked if they know their deceased loved one's wishes regarding organ donation. That is why it is important that each of us has those discussions with our own families now so that should the time come, they will know the answer. It is also important for an individual to register his or her wishes in the system used by his or her province, where available.
Canadians may not realize that only a small proportion of people will die in circumstances that make them eligible for organ donation, for example, in the case of a massive stroke that causes brain death. The rarity of these events makes every donation opportunity more precious and makes it all the more important for more people to make their wishes known before death. One deceased donor can save up to eight lives. Organ donors touch many families and leave a lasting legacy.
The act of donating an organ, or receiving one as a transplant patient, is a momentous event forever linking two people. In Canada, this miracle occurs approximately eight times every day; in 2017 almost 3,000 organs were transplanted. However, that is not enough. There were still over 4,000 patients on organ wait-lists and last year, 242 patients died while waiting for a transplant. How long should a patient wait? Statistics from Quebec indicate that the average wait time for a kidney in that province in 2017 was 493 days, or one year and four months. The wait-lists do not even include all people who might benefit from a transplant.
What is the problem? Why are there not enough organs to meet the needs of these patients? Many elements have to fall into place, and be in place, for the right organ to be available for the right patient at the right time. Sometimes donors and patients are in different jurisdictions, so interprovincial systems are needed to bring it all together.
While provinces and territories each manage the delivery of health care in their jurisdictions, including organ donation and transplant surgeries, a more pan-Canadian approach is needed to fill the gaps that provinces and territories cannot achieve on their own, and our government has been playing a part in filling those gaps.
As the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, I want to take a moment to highlight the contributions that the health portfolio has made to develop and improve the organ and tissue donation and transplantation system.
Our government has an important role to play in protecting the health and safety of Canadian transplant recipients through regulation. The safety of human cells, tissues and organs for transplantation regulations contain safety requirements related to the assessment of donors, the retrieval and handling of organs, and labelling for transport of organs.
In addition, our government contributes to the pan-Canadian organ and tissue donation and transplantation system. Together with the provinces and territories, we have invested over $70 million in support of efforts by Canadian Blood Services to improve the organ and tissue donation and transplantation system over the last 10 years. The Government of Quebec contributes approximately $845,000 to Canadian Blood Services annually for interprovincial services. Transplant Quebec coordinates organ donation and transplantation activities in that province.
In addition, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research have invested over $100 million in transplantation research between 2012 and 2017, and scientists are researching how to improve access to transplants and how to improve the long-term survival and quality of life of transplant recipients. Important advancements are being made. For example, research is illuminating new ways to manage blood group compatibility to expand ways to match a patient with a broader range of organ donors.
On October 18, I had the privilege of announcing a further investment of $3.3 million in the Canadian donation and transplant research program to advance research on many facets of organ and tissue donation and transplantation in Canada. This funding is a joint investment by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Astellas Pharma Canada Inc., the Canadian Liver Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Canada, the Fonds de recherche du Québec, and the Kidney Foundation of Canada. Through such collaborations, we can increase the availability of transplants for Canadians and transform clinical outcomes for transplant patients from coast to coast.
Beyond these established roles, I am pleased to inform the House that the Minister of Health is actively pursuing her mandate to work with provinces and territories to facilitate collaboration on an organ and tissue donation and transplantation system that would give Canadians timely and effective access to care. Health Canada officials are leading a collaborative initiative, in partnership with the provinces, territories and Canadian Blood Services, to engage stakeholders in determining how to improve the system so that Canadians can count on having access to the care they need when they need it. A wide range of patient groups, transplant specialists, organ donation organizations, and other key stakeholders across the country have been interviewed to help identify how to improve and optimize the results for Canadians. We will keep the House informed of the outcomes of that work.
Again, the government is very pleased to support this motion.
In closing, I want to thank the member for moving this motion. I look forward to working with all members of the House and continuing the discussion on this important issue for the health of Canadians.