A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to meet and chat with Lilet Raffinan, the manager of the only Canadian Blood Services location in Brampton. As I spoke to Lilet, she educated me on the importance of donating plasma and how it can help make all the difference for those in need.

Plasma is a protein-rich liquid that is found in our blood and that is used to help treat a number of illnesses and injuries.

Plasma treatment is currently being used to treat illnesses such as cancer, nervous system disorders, organ transplants, bleeding disorders, and many more.

The plasma that is collected by Canadian Blood Services is used for fractionation, which means that your donated plasma will be manufactured into 50 life-saving medications and will be distributed to 730 hospitals and clinics across the country.

Speaker, the wonderful part of donating plasma is that you can donate your plasma every seven days; and international students, who can only donate their blood after they have been in Canada for at least three years, can donate their plasma after 21 days.

I strongly encourage all of my colleagues and the residents of Ontario to donate their plasma to make all the difference for Canadians in need.

My question is for the Minister of Colleges and Universities. Ontario’s colleges are critical in helping to provide our students with career-focused education that addresses our province’s labour needs and drives our economic prosperity. Ontario’s colleges produce graduates who go on to create jobs for others, make lasting contributions to their communities and help to attract new investments and opportunities.

The Minister’s Lifetime Achievement Award and Premier’s Awards for college graduates recognize the tremendous contributions that help to make our province successful. Can the Minister of Colleges and Universities speak about the well-deserved recognition of the recent recipients of the lifetime achievement award?

But while it is a positive that our government acknowledges the great work of our college system, we should also take the opportunity to recognize the great people and students who are in our college campuses. Can the Minister of Colleges and Universities elaborate on some of the worthy recipients of this year’s Premier’s Awards for college graduates?