Keeping HIV and AIDS in Canada on the Political Agenda
In February, ACT welcomed the Gates Foundation and Ottawa’s decision to step up funding for AIDS vaccine research. Well-funded research and development is an integral part of any comprehensive, long-term federal HIV/AIDS strategy. However, as Bill Gates and Prime Minister Harper acknowledged in their joint announcement on February 20th, an effective AIDS vaccine or cure is “at least 10 years away.”
A comprehensive federal HIV/AIDS strategy should also include robust prevention and support programs. Unfortunately, neither the $140M announced last month, nor the $120M announced by the federal government in December, adequately addresses the ongoing needs of the 60,000 Canadians living with HIV/AIDS and the many more at risk for HIV.
Many Canadians living with HIV/AIDS struggle with the physical, emotional, and economic challenges of maintaining their health. And while infection rates have stabilized over the past eight years, since about 2001 we have witnessed an upward trend across the general population, and a sharp rise in infections among emerging vulnerable communities.
Thirty percent of HIV-positive Canadians are not aware of their HIV status. Recent studies show that in Canada two-thirds of grade seven students, one-half of grade nine students, and one-third of grade eleven students do not know that there is no cure for HIV/AIDS. Our work continues to be cut out for us.
The fact is, a proactive approach to AIDS prevention and care is cost-effective : Better funding for programs and services translates into fewer new HIV infections and healthier people living with HIV/AIDS. This in turn mitigates the impact of the epidemic on the health care system. Yet federal funding for HIV/AIDS prevention and care programs continues to be reactive, falling well short of current needs.
What we have seen from the federal government — both in its selective funding of the fight against HIV/AIDS and in its unwillingness to consult with AIDS service providers, activists, and affected communities on needs and best practices — is a palpable discomfort with the messy reality of HIV/AIDS in Canada. A reality that includes newcomers, gay and bisexual men, women, African, Caribbean, and First Nations peoples, trans people, and injection drug users.
With an election rumoured for the spring, we call on Prime Minister Harper to continue to support HIV/AIDS research, and to step up his party's support for HIV/AIDS care and prevention education in Canada — leading up to and beyond the next vote, whether as leader of the government or leader of the opposition.
As ACT supporters, now is an excellent time to make your voices heard. In the event of upcoming federal and provincial elections, we encourage you to find out where the candidates in your riding stand on HIV/AIDS funding. If they can’t articulate a coherent position on the issue, force them to think about it. Write them letters, create petitions, ask them the tough questions about HIV/AIDS at town hall meetings and debates. ACT plans to do the same.
