Health committee  Thank you.

Health committee  We have worked with the Royal College to develop e-books for physicians coming into critical care, for residents in the critical care unit. In addition, in Ontario we have 58 donation physicians who are accountable to us, including in all of the smaller hospitals, not just the large trauma centres, such that we get referrals of an amazing number of potential donors from these smaller hospitals.

Health committee  I'm pleased to respond to that difficult issue. There is an alcohol-related liver disease pilot program that is about to be launched, a three-year pilot, which will tell us whether or not there's evidence for a better policy than the six-month rule, the six-month rule being the one that is used internationally.

Health committee  Two-thirds of the Ontario wait-list are people waiting for kidneys, and it has been that way for many years. If you were to ask us, based on our experience, where your support is needed, I would say it's prevention of diabetes.

Health committee  I think it's a very positive thing. Registration has been proven to be transaction-based, and that's a transaction where you have millions of Canadians. What would simplify the process is, rather than having them register on their tax returns, a requirement for them to go through CRA to the home province's mechanism for registering, thereby not needing to move personal information through a different channel.

Health committee  Correct.

Health committee  Rather than creating something new I think if you went to various different provinces you'd find they are centres of excellence.

Health committee  Yes, certainly. I'll do so using an example, if I may. It's already been acknowledged this afternoon that British Columbia's living kidney donation program is recognized across Canada as being best in class. The recommendation is that all the details surrounding that program be packaged and moved across the country.

Health committee  Certainly, intuitively it would seem to us that it's a silver bullet. However, when we research the matter and go to the other jurisdictions, we find out that it's not, because the family is still—in all of those countries—required to consent, and because of presumed consent they would never have had the discussion.

Health committee  Shall I start? It's not 20%, but it is between 10% and 15%. It occurs typically in situations of donation after cardiac death. This is a situation where an individual is on life support and the medical team and the family together make a decision to withdraw the life support. Where the family is gathered around their loved one's bedside and the decision is made to withdraw life support, in many cases they will say, “We want to do it now.

Health committee  Thank you. I will ask my colleagues at Canadian Blood Services to address part of that question. In Ontario we do invest, as other provinces do, in promoting stories, statistics, successes, and challenges, to the media, but we are unable to utilize regular, ongoing television opportunities, radio spots, regular series, as such, or full-page ads that would catch people's attention.

Health committee  I believe that if the infrastructure on the ground were in place, if we were all very sophisticated on the ground with our teams, at that point, there may be some added advantage to presumed consent. Until that time, it is not a silver bullet.

Health committee  Yes, 90% of Canadians say they believe in organ donation and only 20% have registered. Some of the reasons why this is the case are myths. Some people think they are too old, but age is not a factor. Maybe they believe their religions don't support it, which is untrue. Religions do, in fact, I think it's an obligation to save a life if you can.

Health committee  Thank you. Trillium Gift of Life Network is the Ontario agency which, under provincial legislation, is responsible and accountable for planning, promoting, coordinating, and supporting organ and tissue donation and transplant, and for participating in that process 24-7. Since our inception, close to 17,000 Ontarians have received life-saving organ transplants.