MP aims to boost organ donation

Bill would add opt-in question to tax forms

OTTAWA • A Calgary MP with the luck of the draw is hoping his private member’s bill on organ donation will have a chance of becoming law and boost organ donation rates in Canada.

Conservative MP Len Webber drew the first spot in the private member’s bill lottery held this month. The lottery happens at the opening of every Parliament and dictates the order in which private member’s bills are heard. Because they don’t come from the government, the bills often don’t pass through the House of Commons, but going early in the process can be a major boost.

Webber’s bill would add a question to Canadians’ tax forms asking them whether they would be willing to be organ donors.

“Right on your income tax form there will be a question there about whether you would be willing to donate your organs upon death,” he said. “There are two things in life that are certain; death and taxes, so I thought I would tackle the tax form.”

A study from the Canadian Institute of Health Information found that 223 people died in Canada, while on waiting lists for an organ transplant in 2018. Canada’s organ donation rate is also low with 20.6 donors per million people. Spain, which has an opt-out, instead of opt-in approach to donation has a rate of 35.3 per million people.

Webber’s bill would take the information from the tax form and give it to provincial organ donor registries.

He said his bill never faced resistance in the House of Commons, but by the time it reached the Senate it was out of time. He was 74th on the list during the last parliament and the bill only reached the Senate in late 2018.

“It really is a no-brainer. It did pass with unanimous consent throughout the house, but it just took time,” said Webber.

Webber said since his bill died he has been dreaming up ideas about how to bring it back. He had spoken with Liberal MPS to see if they would take it on and considering making trades for a better spot in the private member’s bill lottery.

He said when he came up with the top spot he was overjoyed. “I showed up and it is almost like divine intervention to stand there and watch your name get picked,” he said. “I yelled out a Calgary Stampede yahoow in the room.”

Webber also championed the issue of organ donation when he was a provincial MLA in Alberta. A bill he pushed for in that legislature in 2013, introduced a provincial organ registry and allowed people to identify their preference when they got a driver’s license.

Webber said he was inspired to pursue this issue by his late wife, who died in 2010. He said she felt passionately about the issue and had wanted to donate her organs, but couldn’t because she passed away from cancer.

He said a lot of possible donations don’t happen because families are unclear about a loved one’s wishes and everyone should take time to talk about it with their family.

“Bring up the issue of organ donation and express your wishes around Christmas so that they know what your wishes are.”