In an interview with political columnist Dale Smith, Minister Marci Ien responded to some criticism of the new policy<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yesterday, Health Canada approved Canadian Blood Services\u2019 proposal to largely lift the deferral period for blood donations by men who have sex with men and some trans people by Sept. 30. The news was met with a mix of praise, relief and disappointment that the policies were still unduly restrictive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the revised policy, a new behaviour-based questionnaire asks whether all potential donors\u2014regardless of their sexuality\u2014have engaged in anal sex with new or multiple sexual partners within the last three months. The reason for the Sept. 30 date, according to Canadian Blood Services CEO, Graham Sher, is that it might take that long to train their 1,600 employees in donor-facing roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While every blood donation in Canada is tested for HIV, under current testing capabilities, HIV cannot be detected in a \u201cwindow period\u201d of approximately nine days after infection\u2014meaning infections in blood from individuals who have very recently been exposed to HIV may not be possible to catch in that window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth Marci Ien, who is also responsible for the LGBTQ2 Secretariat, reached out to me when the news came down on Thursday morning. The issue is important to her both as minister, and as the Liberal MP for Toronto\u2019s historic gay village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs an ally, I\u2019m absolutely thrilled,\u201d Ien says in a phone interview from isolation after she tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week. \u201cThere wasn\u2019t a door I knocked on during the general election where this wasn\u2019t a huge issue, and it was one thing for me to say, \u2018Listen, I absolutely know we have to do more, and I can\u2019t defend that we haven\u2019t done more.\u2019 It\u2019s one thing to say that, but people wanted to see the action, and today we got that action.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ien says that this isn\u2019t about the government patting themselves on the back for something that should have been done years ago. She says that, like with conversion therapy, the new guidelines came to pass because activists and regular people said enough was enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey held our feet to the fire, and we\u2019re here,\u201d says Ien.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Critics have pointed out that today\u2019s decision comes eight years after the Liberals made their initial promise to lift the deferral period. Ien says that the party asked what was needed in order to make the change, and they were told that research would be required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because Canadian Blood Services and H\u00e9ma Qu\u00e9bec are arm\u2019s length from the government\u2014which was an important recommendation from the Krever Inquiry<\/a> in the tainted blood scandal\u2014the federal government could not directly order either agency to make the policy change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe came up with the money to make sure that the research was done,\u201d Ien says. \u201cI have to say, we were the first government to do that. While yes, it did take a very long time, that research enabled us to get to where we are today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I asked whether Ien thinks that the party made a promise it couldn\u2019t keep when it comes to lifting this policy or making it happen faster, she pointed out that during a debate in the 2021 election, she agreed with her counterparts that the Liberals did not get it done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to even try to defend it,\u201d says Ien. \u201cI have been on-side with this since I was voted to serve the people of Toronto Centre.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of my frequent criticisms of this government is that they are pathologically incapable of communicating policy challenges effectively, or being frank about what the issues at play are, preferring instead a steady stream of bromides and good-news talking points. The fact that the Liberal Party did not explain the arm\u2019s-length nature of Canadian Blood Services and H\u00e9ma Qu\u00e9bec as the cause of the delays fits into this pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n