SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 9

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 2, 2021 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 9 - Dec/2/21
Mr. Eric Duncan (Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, CPC)
  • Dec/2/21 6:50:20 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, 17 years ago, I went to the Joel Steele arena in my hometown of Winchester, excited to donate blood for the first time. Little did I know, until I got to the questionnaire and it asked if I was a man who had sex with a man, that I would be disqualified from doing so. I told Canadians, through a video earlier this year in some advocacy I have been trying to do to end the discriminatory blood ban, that this was one of the very few times in my life that I felt there was something wrong by being gay. Here we are at the end of 2021, 17 years later, and that discrimination still exists in our country today. There is an experience and that experience is replicated by thousands of MSM men across the country. The frustrating part is that there is a clear, scientific solution to end this discrimination and end this stigma that has lasted for far too long. The Canadian Medical Association, the All Blood is Equal campaign and numerous countries around the world have changed their questionnaire to be based on sexual behaviour as opposed to sexual orientation. Six years ago, three elections ago now, the government promised to end it. It did not promise to study it or say it was pending review. It did not claim it was independent and could not do anything about it or that it could only study it and see what was recommended. It promised to end it. Nevertheless, here we are the end of 2021 and Canadian Blood Services finally, back in June during pride month, said that it was going to recommend an end to the ban on donations for men who have sex with men. It is good news and a step in the right direction; I acknowledge that. The government has now known for six months that this recommendation would be coming from Canadian Blood Services. It had the option, through the Food and Drug Acts, to act earlier to eliminate a provision no longer deemed necessary. Blood Regulations, section (5) reads: The Minister may, by notice in writing, remove a term or condition...no longer necessary to prevent a compromise to human safety or the safety of blood. Last Friday, in the House of Commons, I asked what the government's plan was, knowing for six months that this application would be coming at the end of the year. At the end of the day, the minister's response to me was very inadequate. This issue deserves urgency and it deserves dignity. I appreciate the minister being at the late show. I acknowledge the rarity of having a minister here and appreciate it. My challenge in this brief time is to challenge the minister not to talk about the last six years, the studies and the research that had to go into this. It has now been done and we know an application is coming. Gay and bisexual men in our country want to know what date they can safely donate blood. The minister and the government have known this was coming for six months. What is the process now, knowing that application is coming? What is the review and timeline process to finally end the discrimination and give the dignity back to the LGBT community?
557 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 9 - Dec/2/21
Mr. Eric Duncan
  • Dec/2/21 6:57:32 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, everybody in the House wants a safe blood supply in this country, and everybody wants to end the discriminatory blood ban. These two issues are not incompatible. Yes, I know the minister has not received the package yet. However, he knows it is coming. There needs to be an urgency. There needs to be something of dignity to show that men who have sex with men can walk and chew gum, as an analogy, for lack of a better one. The minister could say he knows it is coming. He could outline the process and the time frame, give a date and give hope to make it happen. I will say to the minister that I am not going away on this issue. Tonight's late show is one thing. It will continue. More detail, more urgency and more dignity need to be given to this issue. We are getting close, but the bureaucratic answers have to stop. We can and we must end the blood ban now. Please.
171 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border