Minister of National Revenue announces the participation of Nunavut and Ontario in the organ and tissue donation service offering

OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 21, 2022 /CNW/ - Since the unanimous adoption of Bill C-210, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has been working with provinces and territories so that Canadians can indicate their desire to receive information about becoming an organ and tissue donor from their provincial or territorial government. 

The Minister of National Revenue is pleased to announce that Nunavut and Ontario have agreed to participate in the organ and tissue donation initiative. This enhanced service offering will start with those jurisdictions in the upcoming tax season. The CRA continues to be committed to maintaining high quality service offerings to Canadians in line with its People First philosophy.

Participation in the organ and tissue donation initiative is voluntary. The CRA will modify the income tax and benefit return for the provinces and territories that choose to opt in. For the 2022 tax year, the return for Nunavut and Ontario will be amended by adding a tick box that will let taxpayers indicate if they want to receive information about organ and tissue donation from their provincial or territorial government. This will allow the CRA to share a taxpayer's contact information with their province or territory of residence exclusively for this purpose.

Less than one quarter of Canadians are registered organ and tissue donors. As most Canadians are required to file an income tax and benefit return each year, the CRA is uniquely positioned to help raise public awareness on organ and tissue donation. The CRA will continue working in collaboration with provinces and territories that may be interested in participating in this initiative in the future.

Quotes

"Organ and tissue donation is an important part of our health care system, and we recognize that more work is needed to address the shortages of donations and increase the potential of saving lives. We are committed to collaborating with provinces and territories to implement this initiative, as early as possible, for all provinces and territories that want to opt in."

- The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue

"Organ and tissue donation improves health and saves lives. Donation rates have been improving in Canada but more work needs to be done. Initiatives like this one are key to raise awareness about organ and tissue donation, to improve our health system and ensure that Canadians have timely and effective access to quality organ and tissue donation services wherever they live across the country."

- The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health

"Organ and tissue donation is something we should all consider during our end-of-life plans. I thank the Canadian Minister of National Revenue for adding this mechanism to make organ donation easier for Canadians and Nunavummiut. The Government of Nunavut is proud to participate in this potentially life-saving initiative."

- The Honourable John Main, Minister of Health, Nunavut

"Ontario knows that organ donation saves lives. Through this new collaboration, we hope to get Ontarians the information they need to make an informed decision about becoming an organ and tissue donor."

- The Honourable Sylvia Jones, Minister of Health, Ontario

Quick facts

Stay connected

• Taxpayers will only be authorizing the disclosure of limited personal information to their province or territory of residence to indicate interest in receiving information about becoming an organ or tissue donor.
• For Nunavut, this information will include the taxpayer's name and most recent email and mailing address on file at the time of the information exchange with the territory of residence. For the Province of Ontario, the information will include the taxpayer's name and most recent email address.
• Information on the organ and tissue donation initiative will be included in the 2022 Income Tax Package for Nunavut and Ontario.

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SOURCE Canada Revenue Agency

Chris MacMillan, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of National Revenue, [email protected]; Media Relations, Canada Revenue Agency, 613-948-8366, [email protected]