Question Period Note: ORGAN DONATION

Budget 2019 will provide Health Canada with $36.5 million over five years, starting in 2019–20, with $5 million per year ongoing, to develop a pan-Canadian data and performance system for organ donation and transplantation, in collaboration with provincial and territorial partners.

According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, in 2018 a total of 2,829 lifesaving transplants were performed in Canada (including Quebec), there were 4492 patients on organ waitlists, and 232 patients died while waiting for a transplant. At the end of 2018 there were 40,289 Canadians living with end-stage kidney disease, not including Quebec. (CIHI, 2019)

• What is the Government of Canada doing to improve organ donation and transplantation in the country?

• Our Government recognizes the value of organ and tissue donation and transplantation, and has an important role to play in protecting the health and safety of Canadians who need transplants.

• Over the last ten years, our Government, together with the provinces and territories (except Quebec), has invested over $77 million to improve the organ and tissue donation and transplantation system.

• Budget 2019 committed a further $36.5 million over five years to improve consistency and quality in data to ensure Canadians have timely and effective access to organ transplant care.

• Through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, we have also invested in transplantation research, as well as renewed our support for the Canadian Donation and Transplant Research Program.

IF PRESSED ON WHAT WILL BE THE GOVERNMENT’S ROLE IN IMPROVING THE SYSTEM…

• Our Government recognizes that too many Canadians are on organ waitlists. We are leading a joint initiative, in collaboration with the provinces and territories (except Quebec) and Canadian Blood Services, to identify opportunities to improve the organ donation and transplantation system for the benefit of Canadians.

• Budget 2019’s investments will support the development of a pan-Canadian data and performance system for organ donation and transplantation, in collaboration with provincial and territorial partners. This will help to improve consistency and quality in data, allowing more donors and recipients to be effectively matched.

IF PRESSED ON DETAILS OF THE JOINT INITIATIVE…

• Since early 2018 our Government has been leading a focused initiative in collaboration with provinces and territories and Canadian Blood Services to identify opportunities to improve the organ donation and transplantation ecosystem.

• An additional $ 9.1 million over three years was allocated to stakeholder organizations to enhance health professional education and public awareness campaigns and to support several major projects arising from this collaboration that are aimed at improving clinical practices and patient outcomes across Canada.

• By working together, we are identifying ways to continue to improve the organ and tissue donation and transplantation ecosystem and we will keep the House informed as this process unfolds.

IF PRESSED ON FEDERAL INVOLVEMENT…

• Health Canada also regulates the safety of the system through a national regulatory compliance and enforcement program for human cells, tissues and organs for transplantation. Serious adverse reactions to transplants are also monitored.

Canadian Blood Services (CBS) is a not-for-profit charitable organization that is financed by provinces and territories. Its primary mission is to manage the blood and blood products supply for Canadians in every province but Quebec, where Héma-Quebec has this responsibility. CBS also has roles in plasma, stem cells, and organs and tissues.

From 2008-09 to 2018-19, provinces and territories (excluding Quebec) and the federal government, have provided over $77 million in funding to CBS to play a role in coordinating the organ and tissue donation and transplantation (OTDT) system including establishing leading practices, professional education, knowledge translation, public education and awareness campaigns; enhancing system performance reporting including public reporting; and developing and maintaining interprovincial organ sharing programs. During this period Quebec also contributed $845,000 per year to CBS to participate in certain elements of its program.

The Evaluation of Health Canada’s Canadian Blood Services Contribution Programs 2013-2014 to 2016-2017 report recommended that Health Canada facilitate collaboration with key stakeholders on the long-term objective of a comprehensive Canadian OTDT system and define Health Canada’s role in developing such a system. A joint initiative launched in early 2018 in collaboration with Canadian Blood Services and provinces and territories (except Quebec), is identifying opportunities for system improvement. Stakeholder workshops held in November 2018, February 2019, and December 2019 helped define next steps. Approximately $3.4 million was allocated to Canadian Blood Services from January 2019 to April 2020 to enhance activities such as health professional education and public awareness campaigns. A further $ 5.7 million over three years has been allocated to stakeholder organizations to support several major projects arising from this collaboration.

Between 2014-15 and 2018-19, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) invested close to $105 million in transplantation research, with over $20 million invested in 2018-19 alone. In June 2018, an additional $3.3 million was invested by CIHR and its partners ($2.4 million from CIHR) to renew support for the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program. This funding is provided in partnership with Astellas Pharma Canada, through the Canadian Liver Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Canada, Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé, and the Kidney Foundation of Canada. The network connects over 200 researchers, students, collaborators, patients, and knowledge users across 30 sites in Canada, and focuses on developing new knowledge and health care practices to increase the availability of transplants for Canadians.

In September 2018, the Standing Committee on Health released its report Organ Donation in Canada that outlined ways the federal government could help strengthen Canada’s organ donation and transplantation system. A government response to the Report was tabled in January 2019.

Budget 2019 proposes to provide Health Canada with $36.5 million over five years, starting in 2019–20, with $5 million per year ongoing, to develop a pan-Canadian data and performance system for organ donation and transplantation, in collaboration with provincial and territorial partners.

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