Examination of the Non-Reserve First Nations, Inuit and Metis Communities HIV/AIDS Project Fund under the Federal Initiative to Address HIV/AIDS in Canada

The Federal Initiative to Address HIV/AIDS in Canada (hereafter, the Federal Initiative) was launched in January 2005 by the Honourable Ujjal Dosanjh, Minister of Health and is the federal government's key strategy to address HIV/AIDS in Canada. The Federal Initiative lays out the federal government's role in leadership, coordination, knowledge development, awareness and direct collaborative support for front-line response to address HIV/AIDS over the next five years and beyond. It defines the federal government's commitment and contribution to Leading Together: A National Action Plan for All Canada.

The Federal Initiative continues the federal government's commitment to work in collaboration with other governments, communities, and institutions that are able to contribute to the national effort and affirms the engagement of people living with and vulnerable to HIV/AIDS in determining the policies and programs affecting their lives. For more information on the Federal Initiative to Address HIV/AIDS in Canada or Leading Together: A National Action Plan for All Canada, please go to www.aidsida.com.

The Non-Reserve First Nations, Inuit and Metis Communities HIV/AIDS Project Fund (hereafter, the Non-Reserve Fund) is one of eight current grants and contributions programs under the Federal Initiative to Address HIV/AIDS in Canada which contribute to the strengthening of the Canadian response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The Non-Reserve Fund has three main priorities which are: 1) to build on existing work being done in the community; 2) to enhance partnerships and sustainability; 3) and to work to make HIV/AIDS a part of the work done by existing Aboriginal services/agencies that may not presently do this type of work. All projects funded by the Non-Reserve Fund benefit non-reserve Aboriginal communities.

Over the next three months, Native Management Services (hired on a contract basis by the HIV/AIDS Policy, Coordination and Programs Division of the Public Health Agency of Canada) will be examining the Non-Reserve Fund. This examination will be a key component in helping the Public Health Agency of Canada share the history of this funding program and to continue to ensure that the Non-Reserve Fund remains responsive to the changing nature of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Canada and, specifically, in Canada's non-reserve Aboriginal communities. This examination will share the stories of the funding program's successes and challenges in the past and help to lay a course for the funding program's future.

When will the fund review be completed?

The fund review has just begun and is expected to be completed by early fall of 2005.

How will the review be undertaken?

The examination of the Non-Reserve Fund will seek and consider input from many key stakeholders from within and outside of the federal government, from different sectors and from regions across the country. Some of the key stakeholders to be consulted include a sample of organizations which have received funding or are currently receiving funding from the Non-Reserve Fund and other organizations that have applied to the funding program but have been unsuccessful in their application.

Who will be conducting this examination?

The HIV/AIDS Policy, Coordination and Programs Division of the Public Health Agency of Canada has hired Native Management Services on a contract basis to conduct this examination. Based on an examination of the Non-Reserve Fund and through stakeholder consultations, recommendations will be made for the future course of the Non-Reserve Fund. A final report will be publicly available at the completion of the review in the fall of 2005.

Questions?

If you have any questions regarding the examination of the Non-Reserve Fund, please contact Shane Rhodes at the Public Health Agency of Canada at (613) 946-3636 or by email at Shane_Rhodes@phac-aspc.gc.ca.