The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) claims that our provincial health-care system purposely discriminates against Indigenous persons with its liver transplant eligibility policies. The claim is ludicrous and unsupported by evidence — but that hasn’t stopped the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal (BCHRT) from agreeing to hear a class complaint over it.

The contested policies are a six-month alcohol abstinence requirement that was dropped by B.C. Transplant in May of 2019, according to provincial health services authority (PHSA) statements provided to media, and the usage of a liver-disease scoring tool called the MELD/Na to determine transplant suitability. A spokesperson from PHSA confirmed to National Post in an email that the current policy no longer contains a six-month abstinence requirement.