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As of last year, Canadian Blood Services said that Black donors accounted for just under one per cent of its entire blood donor base, about two per cent of stem-cell registrants and five per cent of cord-blood donors.Supplied
Black people in Canada who want to donate blood face barriers, despite a critical need for specific blood types to treat sickle-cell disease, says a study published on Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Researchers from the Interdisciplinary Centre for Black Health at the University of Ottawa shared their findings after interviewing 42 Black adults from March to June, 2023.
The study does not touch on the time period between gathering research and publishing findings.
The research findings offer new insights into complex factors at the root of why few Black individuals donate blood.
One of the co-authors, Jude Mary Cénat, a professor of psychology at the university and its research chair on Black health, said the barriers to blood donation are “predominantly rooted in the restrictive and racist policies adopted by blood donation systems in Canada.”
As of last year, Canadian Blood Services said that Black donors accounted for just under one per cent of its entire blood donor base, about two per cent of stem-cell registrants and five per cent of cord-blood donors. By contrast, the Black population in Canada is growing and is expected to reach more than three million people by 2041.
CBS says people in Canada from ethnically diverse backgrounds are less likely to find a matching donor because these communities are underrepresented. For its stem registry alone, 66 per cent of registrants are Caucasian.
Canadian Blood Services urges people to donate amid serious drop in supply
The study said: “Our findings highlight ongoing, restrictive policies that challenge blood donation among Black people in Canada and underscore deep mistrust in the health care and blood-donation systems owing to historical and current racial discrimination.”
“Policy reform, inclusive communication, and collaboration between health care organizations and Black communities are needed to improve trust,” it said.
Many study participants said they were barred from giving blood in Canada based on eligibility rules, such as those related to malaria, despite being able to donate elsewhere.
“Participants in our study noted previous malaria infection as a major barrier for them if they wished to donate blood,” it said.
“It remains unclear, therefore, how Canada’s policy – among the most restrictive in the G7, along with Japan – is clinically justified, given evidence showing a very low risk of transfusion-transmitted malaria.”
Currently, CBS says individuals who have spent time in a malaria-endemic region may need to wait to donate blood. Those with a past confirmed case are not eligible to give transfusion products. Patients who have had malaria can give plasma six months after recovery.
In early 2025, Health Canada approved the first molecular test to screen blood donations for malaria, which CBS said could be used in donor screening processes and to “potentially change associated donor eligibility criteria.”
However, CBS would need to evaluate how the test works in its donation process and gain authorization from Health Canada.
“Until this testing can be put in place, the existing donor screening process for malaria will remain in place to ensure the safety of the blood supply,” its website states.
The newly published research study also detailed how mistrust of blood-donation systems was “based on the unfortunate experiences Black people have faced when trying to donate blood.”
“In addition to the lack of representation of Black and racialized individuals among the staff at blood donation centres and the racist experiences related to blood donation policies participants also highlighted their discomfort at being more heavily screened because of the colour of their skin,” it said.
Reaction from CBS was not included in the study, which was under embargo until its Monday publication.
Last year, the organization produced a summary of work being undertaken to address barriers experienced by Black individuals and communities. For example, it said it is conducting community-based “social-science research with Black and African communities.”
CBS has said that it wants to ensure that high-quality blood products are available from all communities and reflect Canadian society.
“We need more people from Black and other racialized communities to become regular blood donors, to help support people with conditions like sickle-cell disease or thalassemia, who may require specially selected blood from donors of a similar ancestry,” its website said.
It also acknowledged how anti-Black racism and other barriers to inclusion exist within its organization and affect many people’s perspectives on donation.
Nearly all study participants highlighted “the racism Black people face in society as one of the main obstacles” to blood donation.
“They noted that Black individuals feel so devalued in society that they come to believe their blood does not matter.”