Chamber
commons
Stage
Cmte Reading
Introduced
Sep 22, 2025
Progress
This bill creates a medal to honour living Canadians who have donated an organ during their lifetime.
Key Changes
- Creates a new medal called the Living Donor Recognition Medal for living organ donors
- Limits eligibility to Canadian citizens and permanent residents who have donated an organ in Canada
- Excludes Senators and Members of Parliament from receiving the medal
- Requires the medal to be presented in a public ceremony by a Crown representative, Senator, or MP whenever possible
- Requires the minister to table an annual report in Parliament on the number of medals awarded
- Requires a report on implementation one year after the Act comes into force, including reasons if no medals have been awarded yet
Gotchas
- The definition of 'organ' in the bill explicitly includes any form of human tissue, broadening who may qualify beyond traditional organ donors
- The medal can only be awarded once per person, regardless of how many organs they have donated
- Senators and MPs are excluded from eligibility, but they may present the medal at ceremonies
- The Governor in Council retains broad regulatory power to exclude additional persons or classes of persons from eligibility
- If no medals have been awarded by the one-year implementation report, the minister must explain the delay, creating a built-in accountability mechanism
Who's Affected
- Canadian citizens and permanent residents who have donated an organ while alive
- Organ donation organizations and transplant community
- The Governor in Council (Cabinet), responsible for regulations and awarding the medal
- The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General, involved in implementation
- Canadians on organ transplant waiting lists, who may benefit from increased donor awareness
Vibes
0 responses
Gotchas
- The definition of 'organ' in the bill explicitly includes any form of human tissue, broadening who may qualify beyond traditional organ donors
- The medal can only be awarded once per person, regardless of how many organs they have donated
- Senators and MPs are excluded from eligibility, but they may present the medal at ceremonies
- The Governor in Council retains broad regulatory power to exclude additional persons or classes of persons from eligibility
- If no medals have been awarded by the one-year implementation report, the minister must explain the delay, creating a built-in accountability mechanism
Summary
Bill C-234 establishes the Living Donor Recognition Medal, a formal award for Canadian citizens and permanent residents who have donated one or more organs while alive. The bill sets out rules for who can receive the medal, how it is awarded, and requires the responsible minister to report annually to Parliament on how many medals were given out. The bill was introduced to recognize the courage and generosity of living organ donors, who often take personal health risks to help others. Parliament also hopes the medal will raise public awareness and encourage more Canadians to consider living organ donation, which can reduce wait times for transplants. The Governor in Council (Cabinet) is given authority to design the medal, set up a nomination process, and make other related regulations. Senators and Members of Parliament are specifically excluded from receiving the medal.
Automatically generated from bill text using Claude
Vibes
0 responses