Canadian Red Cross

History

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 Ryerson, who had founded Canada's St. John Ambulance Association in 1895, spearheaded the organization's founding. 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) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (Federation). The Canadian Red Cross had its centennial celebration in May 2009.

Mrs. Mary Alice Danner of Perth, Ontario donated a building, later known as 'Red Cross House' at 237 Metcalfe Street to the Ottawa Branch of the Canadian Red Cross Society for blood donor services and other Red Cross activities in memory of Flight Sergeant William Dewey Hagyard R.C.A.F. who was missing in action February 11, 1942. The Ottawa branch of Blood Services Canada later relocated to Plymouth Street, in Ottawa

All of the Canadian Red Cross staff and volunteers are guided by the seven fundamental principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement:

• Humanity • Impartiality • Neutrality • Independence • Voluntary Service • Unity • Universality

Programs in Canada

Emergencies and Disasters

The Canadian Red Cross provides assistance to Canadians experiencing an emergency or disaster. The organization works in partnership with government, first responders, emergency management, and other organizations to support their response activities. They also provide assistance for people's basic needs, which includes: family reuinification, lodging, reception and information, food, clothing, and personal services, such as first aid, temporary care for children or elderly, and other support.

Community Health Services

Community Support Services

The Canadian Red Cross offers a wide range of community support services that provide daily supports to older adults, vulnerable people, and their caregivers. The goal of these programs is to provide support in maintaining quality of life, independence, and active participation in society. Some of the programs and services available include: nutrition support programs (such as Meals on Wheels), social inclusion programs, assisted living in supportive housing and attendant outreach services, safety programs, and transportation. The availability of these programs varies.

Health Equipment Loan Program (HELP)

This program provides health equipment to individuals dealing with individuals or injury, enabling them to return home from the hospital sooner or live more independently. The program operates in British Columbia, Alberta, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Yukon territory. The types of assistive equipment that can be provided include: wheelchairs, walkers, bath seats and benches, commodes and toilet seats, crutches and canes, bed handles, and other durable medical equipment. The program is funded through financial donations as well as through the donation of used medical equipment, diverting it from the landfill, and it carried out with the support of volunteers and the health authorities.

Home Care Services

The Canadian Red Cross offers personal support and homemaking services to support the independent living of seniors and those recovering from illness or injury. These services include: personal care, home management, and respite and companion care. Home care services are available in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Ontario.

Violence, Bullying, and Abuse Prevention

Finding Family, Restoring Family Links

Migrant and Refugee Services

The Canadian Red Cross has been involved in the independent monitoring of detention facilities holding immigration detainees since 1999, following a request from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). The organization provides independent monitoring to promote a protective environment in which detainees are treated humanely and their human rights and inherent dignity are respected. As of 2014 this includes visiting federal immigration holding facilities and some provincial correctional facilities in Québéc, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba.

Safety, First Aid, and CPR

The Canadian Red Cross is involved in treating the wounded on the fields of war and to training individuals to more effectively handle emergencies both at home and in the workplace. The organization is a leading provider of first aid and CPR programs and has been offering first aid and CPR training to Canadians for over 50 years. In an average year, more than 600,000 Canadians were trained in first aid and CPR so that lives can be saved before an ambulance arrives.

In 1946 the Red Cross Swimming and Water Safety programs were introduced as a result of a large number of drownings that occurred in Canada in the 1940s. Since then, more than 30 million Canadians, in more than 3,500 communities across Canada were to taught to swim and stay safe around water.

In 2012, The Canadian Red Cross and The Royal Life Saving Society of Canada joined forces with the Public Health Agency of Canada to launch the Open Water Wisdom initiative, which is a community water activity safety program dedicated to bringing awareness to recreational water safety issues nationally and in hundreds of remote communities across Canada.

International Programs

Emergencies and Disasters

The Canadian Red Cross responds to the needs to vulnerable communities affected by conflict, disasters, and health emergencies. The organization delivers primary healthcare programs, relief supplies, water, and sanitation and shelter solutions. International programming promotes cost-effective, community-based programs that target large numbers of people with rapid, effective, and large-scale humanitarian aid.

International Development

The Canadian Red Cross also has long-term development programs in the regions of Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa.

Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health

Maternal, newborn, and child health is a priority for the Canadian Red Cross. Many of these deaths are preventable through integrated community-based programs, low cost interventions and improved access to health care. The organization focuses on strengthening and supporting health systems to address issues that have disproportionately impact child mortality, including malaria, pneumonia, diarrhea, and malnutrition, particularly in remote areas where there is a lack of health services and emergencies where health services have collapsed. They also focus on education in the areas of reproduction, newborn care and breastfeeding, and nutrition for young children. And they increase access to potable water and the knowledge and means to improve hygiene and sanitation.

Krever Commission

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. This was due to the nationwide controversy when it was revealed that between 1986 and 1990 it had supplied tainted blood to patients despite knowledge of a test that might have detected the contamination in some cases.

In 1994, an investigation found that 95 percent of hemophiliacs who used blood products supplied by the Canadian Red Cross prior to 1990 had contracted Hepatitis C. According to the Krever Commission, approximately 85 percent of those infections could have been prevented. More than 1,100 Canadians were infected with HIV and 20,000 contracted Hepatitis C from blood transfusions given by the Red Cross during that period.

The Canadian Red Cross was fined $5,000 for its role in the tainted blood scandal and the organization agreed to plead guilty to distributing a contaminated drug. It agreed to donate $1.5 million dollars to the University of Ottawa for a research endowment fund as well as a scholarship for the family members of those affected. In exchange, six criminal charges against the Canadian Red Cross were dropped.

Dr. Roger Perrault, the director of the Canadian Red Cross at the time, was on trial for his role in the scandal. The first trial, in Toronto before the Superior Court of Justice, resulted in an acquittal. He had been charged with four counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm and one of common nuisance. The counts of criminal negligence were specific to four victims who had contracted HIV from tainted blood. The second trial, in Hamilton, also before the Superior Court of Justice, resulted in charges being withdrawn. The charges were six counts of common nuisance and "stemmed from an allegation he endangered the public by failing to properly screen donors, implement testing for blood-borne viruses and warn the public of the danger regarding hepatitis C and HIV" and relate to a period of time in which the understanding of AIDS was even more rudimentary. The charges were withdrawn on the basis that there was no longer a reasonable prospect of conviction.

Investigation into alleged 2004 Indian Tsunami worker abuse

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.