When I was Deputy Minister of the Environment I told my staff I wanted to be taken for granted. In this role, and my other responsibilities in the Canadian Public Service, I always tried to serve the public and make Canada a better place. But I was happy to be a faceless bureaucrat, out of the limelight—known by my colleagues in government and on the Hill, but not by Canadians at large —to be taken for granted.

44,000 blood donors needed across the country by Canada Day (OTTAWA) – Canadian Blood Services is getting ready to support patients this summer and is inviting Canadians to participate in the international Missing Type campaign from June 11 to 17. The Missing Type campaign is taking place during National Blood Donor Week, which this year is commemorating its 10th anniversary. Throughout the week, As, Bs and Os — the letters of the main blood groups — will go missing in everyday signage and places of interest across Canada and in more than 20 participating countries around the world to

Somewhere in Canada, a patient needs a blood transfusion every 60 seconds (OTTAWA) – When the call for help goes out to Canadians, they respond. Canadian Blood Services saw that well-known Canadian value come to life earlier this summer as it worked to rebuild what was then a precarious inventory of blood for Canadian patients. As the Labour Day long weekend approaches, Canadian Blood Services is counting on that generosity and is urging eligible Canadians to book appointments. Blood donations often decrease during summer months, something that Canadian Blood Services plans for. Canadian Blood

New chat bot a world’s first among national blood operators (OTTAWA) – Canadian Blood Services, together with EY, have announced a world’s first among national blood operators by introducing a chat bot to engage donors on Facebook Messenger. This new tool is another innovative effort to engage younger audiences in a lifetime of blood donation and to promote the constant need for blood. “The chat bot is a fun and interactive tool that will attract new, young, and lifelong donors, at a time when the blood supply needs a boost to prepare for summer,” said Mark Donnison, vice-president, donor

(Ottawa) – Today, during World Blood Donor Day, Canadian Blood Services would like to honour its 420,000 Canadian blood donors who save lives, as well as the millions of international donors who help contribute to the 108 million blood donations collected globally each year. “We are extremely lucky to have a safe and reliable blood supply that ensures Canadian patients receive blood products whenever and wherever they need them. Unfortunately in other parts of the world this is not the case,” said Mark Donnison, Vice-President of Donor Relations. “On World Blood Donor Day, we would like to

Events across the country to recognize donors and inspire more Canadians to donate Ottawa – Canadian Blood Services is thanking its 420,000 blood donors during National Blood Donor Week from June 8 to 14, and inviting them to share their reasons for rolling up their sleeves to help inspire other Canadians to do the same. “National Blood Donor Week is a time to celebrate Canadians who have helped save lives through blood donation,” said Mark Donnison, Vice-President of Donor Relations. “This week we are also hoping to welcome new donors to help replenish our blood supply on a regular basis.”

Canada needs more donors: “48 in 48” registration drive planned Ottawa, Ontario – As part of National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week (April 19-25 th, 2015), Canadian Blood Services, along with several organ donation organizations across the country, is taking part in a 48 hour registration drive between April 20-22. Called “#48in48 for organ donation”, the initiative’s goal is to collectively register 48,000 new donors in 48 hours. While the number of donors in many provinces has increased over the past several years, it still does not meet the increasing need. Approximately, one of

Honouring our Lifeblood ceremony recognizes life-saving contributions of Canadians from coast to coast September 19, 2011 (OTTAWA) - Canadian Blood Services will honour and celebrate local individuals and partner groups at the 12th annual Honouring our Lifeblood ceremony recognizing donors, volunteers, partners and sponsors from across the country who provide a lifeline to hundreds of thousands of Canadians who need blood, stem cells, or organs and tissues. The event will be hosted by Rosemary Thompson, with a keynote address by Mark Black. Congratulations to this year’s honourees. Lifetime

On April 27, a third-party records storage service provider confirmed to Canadian Blood Services that it could not locate two boxes of paper records of donation in its facility.