Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to thank my colleagues for the quality of the debate we just had and particularly for their personal testimonies.
Organ donation is one of the greatest possible gestures of human solidarity. Despite current efforts, 4,500 people are suffering while waiting for a transplant in Canada and approximately 250 of those on the waiting list die every year.
Motion No.189 calls on the government to reiterate its commitment to facilitate collaboration on an organ and tissue donation and transplantation system that gives Canadians timely and effective access to care.
Our current system is not good enough. I sincerely believe that we need to do better to save those whose only hope is an organ donation.
Recently, I had the honour of meeting organ recipients and families of organ donors from my riding of Thérèse-De Blainville.
At that meeting, Carole Du Paul, whose husband died and donated his lungs and liver, gave a very touching testimony, as did Joseph El Hajj, who was the recipient of a heart in 2009, Johanne Michaud, whose children were able to know their grandfather thanks to an organ donation that extended his life and gave him the opportunity to see his grandchildren grow up, and Yves LeBlanc, who has a new lease on life thanks to a tissue transplant.
Their stories show how important it is for all Canadians to have access to an effective organ donation and transplantation system.
I want to emphasize the word “all” here because our current system is unfair.
Organ donation varies greatly from one province to another because of a lack of resources in that area.
Motion No. 189 seeks to encourage organ and tissue donation across Canada by supporting national efforts with provincial and territorial authorities and stakeholders.
It is unfortunate and completely unacceptable that the probability of receiving an organ donation is dependent upon the patient's place of residence in Canada. Motion No. 189 will change this situation and improve the exchange of information between provinces, as well as encourage organ donation through public education and awareness campaigns.
As I mentioned earlier, one of the limitations of our organ donation system is consent. Only 20% of Canadians are registered donors even though 90% believe in organ donation. Education is key to obtaining consent, raising awareness and obtaining the right information. This awareness will let donors understand the importance of being a donor in order to save lives. Not only must donors sign the back of their driver's licence or health insurance card, they must talk about it with their loved ones.
I would like to congratulate Chaîne de vie, whose mission is to raise awareness and inform high school students about organ and tissue donation as part of the second language instruction program. Lucie Dumont, the president and founder of this organization, has done great work on this program, which is recognized in Quebec and internationally.
I also want to thank every person, organization, and stakeholder with whom I discussed this motion: Louis Beaulieu from Transplant Québec, Ronnie Gavsie from the Trillium Gift of Life Network, Leanne Appleton from BC Transplant, and Dr. Pierre Marsolais, to name a few.
In closing, I want to reiterate that Motion No. 189 transcends political partisanship and is non-binding. It is a motion that will allow for dialogue between the provinces while urging the government to take action.
I want to thank the members who have already expressed their support. I hope to have managed to raise awareness on this important issue so that Motion No. 189 gets the unanimous support of the House.