Minister Ambrose takes part in Canadian Blood Services’ Wrap It Up Red Campaign

The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health today teamed up with Canadian Blood Services (CBS) and other Members of Parliament to rally Canadians to wrap up the holidays in red this year by rolling up their sleeves and donating blood at a local clinic and/or registering to become organ and tissue donors.

To help kick off this year’s national Wrap It Up Red campaign, Minister Ambrose, along with Member of Parliament for Etobicoke Centre, Ted Opitz, and other colleagues, donated blood at a local clinic in Ottawa today. Laureen Harper was also in attendance to lend support to CBS’s Wrap it Up Red campaign. This was in response to Canadian Blood Services’ invitation to all Canadians to take an hour out of their busy schedules to donate blood this holiday season. The campaign aims to boost blood donations and appointments, and promote organ and tissue donation during the holidays and into the New Year – typically a challenging time for blood collections.

As part of the national campaign, which runs from December 3 to January 3, communities across the country will wrap up clinics and light up significant landmarks in red, including Niagara Falls, to show their support and appreciation to generous donors and encourage others to book appointments to donate blood.

Last year, Minister Ambrose, along with Laureen Harper launched a special page on the Healthy Canadians website, along with a social media campaign, #GiftOfLife, to raise awareness of the need for organ and tissue donation in Canada. The page contains information about the importance of organ and tissue donation in Canada, as well as an interactive map to help Canadians contact their relevant provincial/territorial organizations to sign up.

After giving blood at an Ottawa clinic, Minister Ambrose joined parliamentarians and other dignitaries at a reception on Parliament Hill to recognize patient recipients and help recruit more donors. Also in attendance were Dr. Graham D. Sher, Canadian Blood Services CEO, and Mackenzie Curran, a stem cell and blood recipient, and her parents.

For those interested in donating blood, you can download the Canadian Blood Services GiveBlood App, book an appointment online at blood.ca or call 1-888-2-DONATE (1-888-236-6283). For details on blood clinics in Quebec, please visit Héma-Québec or call 1-888-666-HEMA (1-888-666-4362).

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