A blood collection canister assembly enables a user to collect and transfer blood and includes liner and lid assemblies. The liner assembly is formed from a flexible liner material and defines an inner liner space. The lid assembly includes a primary lid portion attached to an upper mouth of the liner assembly and includes a series of ports. The series of ports may include a vacuum port, a patient port, a transfer port, and an additive port. The vacuum port is communicable with a vacuum line for directing blood transfer from a patient via the blood collection canister assembly. The patient port receives directed blood transfer from the patient, and the transfer port transfers collected blood to a separate reservoir for further processing. The blood collection canister assembly is usable in either an upright, first configuration for collecting and transferring blood or an inverted, second configuration for transferring collected blood.