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I reply in the affirmative because of another headline-reaching news story in utter and stark contrast to the Melnyk transplant story, that of a man named Brian Sinclair. His death initiated an inquest because he died after 34 hours of waiting for medical services in a hospital’s emergency area. He did not own a hockey team, neither was he at the hospital for an organ transplant. He also had nothing of what many Canadians would deem as “valuable”; this would include his life, and his lifestyle. He was homeless, legless, in a wheelchair and Aboriginal. He belonged to what is commonly and politely called “sub-groups”: Indigenous, disabled, of low socio-economic status. The final act in his life was to place himself in the very face of immediate help and no person, professional or otherwise, helped him. There were no repercussions for those who neglected Sinclair to death.

We can, and should, question why the voice of one Canadian making a life-saving request is heard loudly and clearly and why the voice of another is completely ignored. The culture in this country of hierarchical social value of persons is covert, and not addressed in the Canada Health Act. Uniform terms and conditions regarding accessibility to health care is a passive, cozy thought, but reality demonstrates little beyond mere words. Improvement to the status quo regarding these identified health care principles, however, is not impossible if we recognize, unearth and examine the quiet but powerful underlying assumptions that have led to what we have today. For example, common knowledge is that Canada consistently ranks very high in the social indices on a global level, and many assume that health-care access in Canada also ranks similarly, but it does not. This is especially true in relation to the unique population group to which Brian Sinclair belonged – the Aboriginal peoples.

While the side-story of the extreme shortage of organ donations in Canada was enhanced by this one news item, its crux is still that the person receiving the organ transplant was none other than Eugene Melnyk, owner of the Ottawa Senators hockey team. While it is indeed very good news that Melnyk has received the liver transplant needed for his survival, all Canadians should have similar and immediate access to a health care system that includes organ transplants when they need it.

Anita Olsen Harper is a trustee in the Ottawa Carleton District School Board.