It noted also that no HIV positive donations had been made in recent years. Research cited by Health Canada said current risks of contracting HIV from the blood supply, with all samples tested, was estimated to be 'very low,' at 1 in 20.7 million. This meant at the time that men who had sex with men could not donate blood if they'd had sex during the period prior to the donation.įor years, advocates said the policy was discriminatory and not based on science. The move follows several changes to the blood donation regime over the past decade that saw deferral periods for donations by gay men progressively lowered from a lifetime ban to three months in 2019. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it 'good news for all Canadians,' adding at a news conference: 'Our blood supply will continue to be safe and we're doing away with a discriminatory blanket ban.'
