CUPE calls for Canadian Blood Services (CBS) CEO Graham Sher and the Board of Directors to step down due to serious gaps in accountability and transparency as the leadership meets at the next CBS Open Board Meeting on December 1, 2022.

CBS signed a 15-year deal with Grifols, a for-profit plasma corporation, to privatize plasma collection in Canada on September 7, 2022. This deal was negotiated and signed behind closed doors with no transparency. Furthermore, CBS conducted rigged consultations that excluded key risks and advocates like CUPE to justify its privatization plans. 

CUPE joins the Canadian Health Coalition, BloodWatch and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) in calling for the CBS CEO and board to step down after this violation of public trust.  

Five reasons to stop for-profit plasma collection 

  1. When corporations open paid plasma collection sites, we risk our current voluntary blood and plasma supply. 
  2. Plasma corporations target and exploit vulnerable populations to collect plasma. 
  3. We’ve had a tainted blood scandal in Canada before. Let’s not take risks by opening the door to unaccountable corporations.  
  4. Blood for money is unethical. We should build our blood and plasma supply through voluntary unpaid donations. 
  5. The global consensus is that blood and plasma be collected through voluntary, unpaid donations. 

Take Action! 

  • OPSEU, the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), Bloodwatch.org, CUPE, and the Canadian Health Coalition will hold an information picket on December 1 (8 a.m. – 11 a.m.) outside the CBS headquarters, 1800 Alta Vista Drive, Ottawa. Click here for other locations.
  • Watch this webinar by the Canadian Health Coalition called Paid plasma industry is threatening Canada’s blood supply. 
  • Read more about keeping our blood and plasma supply safe in this CUPE fact sheet.