Many Canadians are waiting each year for an organ transplant and while most Canadians believe in the concept of organ donation most of them do not register as donors.
There is a shift towards an opt-out vs. an opt-in model whereby instead of registering people would only register if they wish to opt-out of donating their organs.
Nova Scotia will have the opt-out system in place on January 18, 2021. Ontario, Alberta and Quebec have tabled member’s bills in 2019 and P.E.I. will soon do this as well.
British Columbia considered the opt-out system but decided against it even though polls show that B.C. has the highest support for an opt-out system of all of the provinces.
Not everyone is eligible to be a donor and there is specific medial criteria that must be met. Only a small percentage of the population qualify as donors.
Deborah A. Todd
