The Government of British Columbia has introduced proposed voluntary blood donation legislation that would prohibit payment for blood donations in the province. Canadian Blood Services welcomes efforts to help further strengthen Canada’s voluntary, non-remunerated, publicly funded collections model, with a view to preserving the integrity of Canada’s public blood and plasma collection system. For nearly 20 years, Canadian Blood Services has been responsible for providing Canada with a safe, secure and affordable system of blood and blood products, including drugs manufactured from human plasma

Canadian Blood Services has shared an ambitious plan with governments outlining how we will ensure a safe and secure supply of plasma needed to manufacture immune globulin (Ig) for Canadian patients. The plan provides a roadmap for significantly increasing the amount of plasma we collect from Canadian donors, as per our voluntary, non-remunerated (unpaid), publicly funded collections model. Canada is self-sufficient in plasma for transfusions. However, we only collect enough plasma to meet about 17 per cent of the demand for Ig, a critical lifesaving drug. Our goal is to increase Canada’s