| Type | Charitable organization |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1896 |
| Headquarters | Ottawa, Ontario |
| Revenue | 311 million CAD (2007)[1] |
| Website | http://www.redcross.ca |
The Canadian Red Cross Society is a Canadian humanitarian charitable organization and one of 186 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies.
It was established in the fall of 1896 as an affiliate of the British Red Cross Society (then known as the National Society for Aid to the Sick and Wounded in War). Colonel Dr. George Sterling Ryerson spearheaded the organization's founding; he was earlier responsible for setting up Canada's St. John Ambulance Association in 1895. The Canadian Red Cross Society Act (1909) legally established the Red Cross as the corporate body in Canada responsible for providing volunteer aid in accordance with the Geneva Conventions. It is a national society and member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The Movement includes the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (Federation). The Canadian Red Cross had its centennial celebration in May 2009.[2]
The mission of the Canadian Red Cross is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity in Canada and around the world. The Society provides disaster services programs and injury prevention services such as water safety and first aid training. The Society, through the international network of the Red Cross, helps the world’s most vulnerable populations, including victims of armed conflicts and communities destroyed by devastating disasters. The current Secretary General and Chief Executive Officer is Conrad Sauvé.
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The Canadian Red Cross has local branches in every province and territory in Canada. In addition, many authorized providers throughout Canada offer the following programs:
Until September 28, 1998, the Canadian Red Cross was responsible for all blood services in Canada. On the recommendation of the Krever Commission, the organization was removed from this position and replaced by the Canadian Blood Services because of the nation-wide controversy when it was revealed that between 1986 and 1990 it had supplied tainted blood to patients despite knowing of a test that might have detected the infection in some cases.[3] In 1994, an investigation found that 95 percent of hemophiliacs who used blood products supplied by the Canadian Red Cross before 1990 had contracted Hepatitis C.[4] According to the Krever Commission, approximately 85 percent of those infections could have been avoided.
More than 1100 Canadians were infected with HIV and 20,000 contracted Hepatitis C from blood transfusions given by the Red Cross during that period.[5]
The Canadian Red Cross was fined $5,000 for its role in the tainted blood scandal and agreed to plead guilty to distributing a contaminated drug. It agreed to give 1.5 million dollars to the University of Ottawa for a research endowment fund as well as a scholarship for family members of those affected. In exchange, six criminal charges against the Red Cross were dropped.[4]
The then-director of the Red Cross, Dr. Roger Perrault, was on trial for his role in the scandal. The first trial resulted in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice acquitting him on charges of criminal negligence causing bodily harm and six criminal nuisance charges were dropped in January 2008 when "there no longer remains a reasonable prospect of conviction in this case".[6]
An investigation conducted by Radio-Canada (CBC), first aired on March 17, 2010 on The National, reports on the problems facing workers that were hired by contractors, under contract from the Canadian Red Cross, to rebuild communities in the Indonesian province of Aceh.[7]
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