The Ministerial Council On HIV/AIDS

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Annual Report April 1, 2003 - March 31, 2004

1.0 Message from the Co-Chairs

We are pleased to share with you this annual report on the activities of the Ministerial Council on HIV/AIDS during 2003-2004. During this year, the Ministerial Council on HIV/AIDS advised the Minister of Health and other Government of Canada officials on Canada's domestic and international response to HIV/AIDS. We focused our efforts on five strategic priorities:

1. Intra- and inter-departmental collaboration in response to HIV/AIDS
2. Comprehensive prevention, care, treatment and support for all communities
3. Effective and responsive structures and strategies to fight the epidemic, including an adequately resourced Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS
4. All streams of HIV/AIDS-related research, including epidemiological, basic science, clinical science, psycho-social and community-based research
5. Canada's international response to HIV/AIDS.

This report informs you of our work on a number of issues within each strategic priority and provides an overview of the policy context within which the Ministerial Council on HIV/AIDS works.

A particular focus of the Ministerial Council on HIV/AIDS this year was monitoring the development of a renewed framework for the Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS in the face of a clear need for a stronger response to HIV/AIDS, including desperately needed new financial resources. The epidemic in Canada continues to grow and many populations in Canada continue to be at risk. The international epidemic is burgeoning: an estimated 40 million persons are now living with HIV.

The Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS came into effect in 1998 with an annual funding level of $42.2 million. Increased needs and inflation since 1998 have severely eroded the resources available to respond to HIV/AIDS under the Strategy.During 2003-2004, the Ministerial Council on HIV/AIDS participated in the five-year review of the Strategy and the development of a draft action plan for 2004-2008 which is currently in Canada-wide consultation with stakeholders. This work provides a renewed framework for the Strategy with significantly increased funding.

During 2003-2004, the Ministerial Council on HIV/AIDS strongly advised the Minister of Health to substantially increase the federal government's financial commitment to the Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS. As we write this letter in May 2004, the Minister of Health has announced that funding for the Strategy will be increased over five years to $84.4 million annually by 2008-2009. While we are encouraged by this progress, we remain concerned that the planned slow, stepwise addition of funds will leave the Strategy seriously under-resourced, resulting in the possible elimination of some programs and the impossibility of launching new initiatives. We will continue to work with the Minister of Health and the Minister of State for Public Health to determine whether this new funding can be provided more quickly.

During the coming year, the Ministerial Council on HIV/AIDS will closely monitor changes as the proposed new Public Health Agency takes responsibility for the Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS. The Ministerial Council on HIV/AIDS will do its utmost to ensure that the integrity of the Strategy is maintained as new priorities and structures are defined by the Public Health Agency.

The Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS is the result of more than two decades of struggle and accomplishment by stakeholders and governments. The Ministerial Council on HIV/AIDS will continue to work on behalf of a stronger Canadian response to HIV/AIDS. We call on all Canadians to do the same.

Louise Binder

Lindy Samson

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