Mr. Speaker, I am extremely pleased to rise this evening to speak to Bill C-234, which was introduced by my colleague from Edmonton Manning. It is an important bill.
We know that private members' bills are often rooted in the member's personal experiences. In the case of my colleague, back in 2003, he showed selfless generosity by donating part of his liver to his son, who went on to live a good life. I want to commend him for taking the time to bring this bill forward. Few people at home know what a privilege it is to introduce a bill in the House of Commons, because it takes some luck to win the draw.
After that, the winning members need to choose a subject that they care about and want to bring forward in the House of Commons, a subject that can change things and improve the lives of the people around them. Today, we have a perfect example in the member for Edmonton Manning. He introduced a bill that is meaningful to him based on his personal and family experience. He wants to change people's lives by shining a light on the importance of living organ donation.
As my colleague from Shefford eloquently pointed out in her speech before mine, Quebec has been a leader in organ donation. The first doctors performed successful transplants and worked together over the years to create Transplant Québec, which is now a world-renowned model. Thanks to that organization, people can go on living. These are often lives that would have been at risk had it not been for organ donation.
Organ donation is important, which is why we need to take the time to promote it. My colleague is proposing that a medal be awarded to honour all living donors who donate one of their organs while they are alive, so that someone can continue living their life. We are talking about kidneys, lungs and other organs. It is often kidneys, as my colleague mentioned.
I would now like to shine a light on something that has not been discussed much. In Quebec, there is a week dedicated to promoting organ donation. During this week, municipalities are invited to raise a flag to raise public awareness about the importance of people signing the back of their health card to consent to organ donation. Many people are still unaware of this option and do not sign their health card. When an accident occurs and they lose their life, their organs, which are still viable, can be used to save the life of a very sick person who is eagerly awaiting an organ.
I have a friend named Nancy Lefebvre who developed kidney disease at a very young age. She waited several years for a kidney transplant, undergoing dialysis three times a week. She had to stop working because she had no energy. When someone is no longer working, when they are sick and spend their days on dialysis, it is hard for them to stay positive. They do not feel useful anymore and they are afraid of dying. Fortunately, Nancy eventually received a kidney thanks to a donation from someone who had sadly passed away. With this kidney, she was able to go back to work and live her life. She even served as my official agent during my election campaign. Every year, during National Organ and Tissue Donation Week and world organ donation and transplant day, she makes a point of reminding people how important it is to consent to organ donation and to talk about it, because it can transform the lives of many people.
Once again, I want to thank my colleague for allowing us to debate a very important subject this evening and draw attention to it through a medal for living donors.
I agree with my colleague from Shefford that we will have to focus on the regulations and work with the many organizations involved to honour and pay tribute to individuals whose generosity has allowed others to go on living. I congratulate my colleague. I have a strong feeling that we are going to debate and expand on this bill in committee.