During a press conference on 3 September, Trudeau said that he is “very, very hopeful” the restrictions will be lifted “shortly”.
Current guidelines in the country mean that men who have sex with men (MSM) cannot donate if they have engaged in sexual contact three months prior to giving blood.
Trudeau said: “We expect Canadian Blood Services to announce soon that the MSM blood ban will be lifted. “It is something that we are continuing to work on, it’s something that we will ensure happens.” All gay and bisexual men were banned from donating blood until 2013 in a policy that dates back to the HIV/AIDS crisis.
Canadian Blood Services (CBS) even required queer men to be celibate for five years prior to donation for them to be permitted to