The Ministerial Council On HIV/AIDS

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Annual Report April 1, 2004 - March 31, 2005

1.0 Message from the Co-Chair

This has been an important year for HIV/AIDS in Canada and an eventful year for the Ministerial Council on HIV/AIDS. Annual funding for Canada's response to HIV/AIDS will be increased by increments each year to a level of $84.4 million by 2008. The Ministerial Council has been a strong advocate for increased funding and is pleased by the Government of Canada's renewed commitment to HIV/AIDS. We will continue to advise that the stepwise increase in annual funding should be accelerated so that the much-needed funds can flow more effectively and quickly to fight the epidemic.

The increased funding supports a renewed framework of response to HIV/AIDS by all stakeholders: a pan-Canadian Action Plan, Leading Together: Canada's HIV/AIDS Action Plan 2005-2010, which engages governments and stakeholders at all levels; and The Federal Initiative to Address HIV/AIDS in Canada, which will guide the federal government's commitments and activities in the context of the pan-Canadian Action Plan. These new policy frameworks are the result of years of developmental work by all partners. The Ministerial Council on HIV/AIDS has been an active participant in this process of development by providing advice to the Minister of Health and others. We are hopeful that these new policy frameworks will produce an invigorated domestic and international response to HIV/AIDS by all Canadians.

Now, more than ever, we need an effective response because HIV infection rates in Canada are still rising. Many marginalized and vulnerable people continue to show alarming rates of new infection. This situation is compounded by the reality that an estimated 17,000 Canadians are unaware that they are living with HIV, which hampers their ability to remain healthy and access care in a timely fashion and diminishes the effectiveness of prevention programs. Women are increasingly vulnerable and now account for 25% of all new infections in Canada. This year the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) focused attention on the danger facing girls and women worldwide in its World AIDS Day messages. UNAIDS estimates that girls and young women are 2.5 times more likely to be infected than their male counterparts.

Obviously, Canada must strengthen its efforts to lessen HIV transmission and ensure care, treatment and support for those living with HIV/AIDS in Canada and around the world. This issue affects all of us and must remain a priority for Canadians and governments at all levels. The Ministerial Council on HIV/AIDS will continue to advocate for initiatives to increase public awareness, including the education of our young people through the school system.

By raising awareness and engaging Canadians in the response to HIV/AIDS, we can combat the stigma and discrimination that are fuelling the epidemic. The Ministerial Council on HIV/AIDS has contributed to the strong emphasis on social justice, human rights and the determinants of health which provide the foundation for the renewed Canadian response to HIV/AIDS in the Action Plan and the Federal Initiative. The Ministerial Council will continue to be firm in its support for these fundamental principles. As Canada prepares to welcome the world to the 2006 International AIDS Conference in Toronto, the Ministerial Council will do its part to ensure that Canada is a place where stigma and discrimination are fading and where the end of the epidemic is in sight. We encourage all Canadians to join in the pan-Canadian and global response to HIV/AIDS.

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