Health

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Health met to conduct clause-by-clause consideration of Bill C-234, an act respecting the establishment and award of a living donor recognition medal. The committee heard from the bill’s sponsor, Ziad Aboultaif, as well as from Christopher McCreery, an author and historian appearing as an individual, and Joël Girouard, a senior Privy Council officer from the Privy Council Office.

Christopher McCreery testified that while the goal of encouraging organ and tissue donation is laudable, the proposed medal does not fit within the existing Canadian honours system. He argued that the inclusion of post-nominals is highly problematic, as they have never been associated with a service or volunteerism medal and would be offensive to veterans awarded the Sacrifice Medal, which carries no post-nominals. He recommended stripping the post-nominals, removing clauses that mandate public ceremonies and ministerial involvement in setting criteria, and making the medal awarded by the Governor General rather than the Governor in Council. He also saw no reason to exclude members of Parliament and senators from eligibility.

Joël Girouard explained that the government’s amendments were developed in collaboration with all parties and the bill’s sponsor. He noted that eligibility criteria for the medal, including for blood donations, would be set by the Governor in Council through regulations, with a high threshold for blood donors reflecting a sustained commitment over decades. He confirmed that a non-Canadian could theoretically receive the medal, but only if the donation occurred within the Canadian health system, as provincial and territorial health partners would validate eligibility.

The committee proceeded through clause-by-clause consideration, adopting several government amendments. Amendment G-1 broadened eligibility to include bone marrow and blood donations, with criteria to be set in regulations. Some members expressed concern that blood donation does not involve the same physical risk as organ donation, but others argued that sustained life-saving service merited recognition. Amendment G-2 was replaced with new language allowing the Governor General to award the medal to any person who donated an organ without profiting, with eligibility determined by regulations. Amendments G-3, G-4, and G-5 were also adopted, all on division. Clauses 10 and 11, which mandated reports, were struck. The bill, as amended, was agreed to on division.