Private blood brokers are trying to secure a stake in Canada’s blood system in order to make a profit off of our blood plasma and it is putting Canadian lives at risk.
Canadian Plasma Resources (CPR) was recently banned from operating in Ontario (Quebec has banned the sale of blood and plasma since 1994). CPR had opened up beside a homeless shelter and next door to a methadone clinic. Private blood collection for profit contravenes the recommendations of the Krever Inquiry, which is the exhaustive report on how to avoid another tainted blood tragedy in Canada; fundamental recommendations included that donors should not be paid and that our blood system must be managed by one national operator — Canadian Blood Services.
Our new blood system was born from the tragic loss of almost 8,000 Canadian lives. It was not an accident. It did not happen because of “bad science.” It was preventable.
BloodWatch.org is made up of veteran blood advocates, tainted blood survivors and patients. The head lawyer from the Krever Inquiry, who is one of the top blood lawyers in the country, sits on our board. There isn’t much about the blood system or the “business of blood” we don’t understand. Albertans need to know that this is a very serious issue and it is an urgent one.