The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) revealed a Conservative bill about organ transplants resulted in about 2.5 million people in Ontario and Nunavut saying they want to become donors. “This sensible approach was supported by all parties in the House of Commons, and it will save lives of Canadians who are in desperate need of a life-saving transplant,” said Conservative MP Len Webber (Calgary-Confederation, AB) in a press release. “The overwhelming success of this initiative in Ontario and Nunavut will surely encourage other provinces to participate this coming tax season.”Webber introduced Bill C-210 to allow Canadians to indicate their willingness to become an organ and tissue donor through their tax forms. Bill C-210 received unanimous support in the House of Commons, and the question appeared this past tax season on forms in Ontario and Nunavut. Webber went on to say he “worked hard to get this common sense Conservative Bill passed in the House of Commons, and it is rewarding to see the work we do in Parliament making a difference and saving lives.” Since Bill C-210 made sense and could save lives, he said MPs united behind and supported it. When Canadians indicate they intend to become an organ and tissue donor through their tax forms, their contact information is passed along to their provincial and territorial registries to finalize the registration process. When Webber was an Alberta MLA in 2013, he brought forward legislation to create the organ and tissue donor registry and implemented the donor designation on driver’s licences. For more than a decade, Webber said he has worked “to improve the lives of Canadians in need of a life-saving transplant, and I could not be happier with the results.”“I am overwhelmed with the success of this initiative, and I foresee the day when Canada could be the first nation without a transplant waiting list,” he said.This ordeal comes after a Saskatoon woman who advertised for a kidney donor returned home with rosy cheeks and a new kidney in April. READ MORE: Saskatoon kidney donor and recipient celebrate successful transplantSaskatoon resident Debbie Onishenko and her donor Brent Kruger underwent kidney transplant surgery in February. Kruger left the hospital about one week later, while Onishenko remained for more than one month.“It was good,” said Onishenko.
