Canada's Report on HIV/AIDS 2003

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The Way Forward

The dedication of CSHA partners is evident throughout this report. We can see that progress is being made both at home and abroad. However, more needs to be done.

We have learned that the number of infected continues to grow, due in part to complacency, lack of information and misinformation. This is exacerbated by the fact that - more than twenty years into the epidemic - stigma and discrimination still discourage people from being tested or from seeking the necessary care and treatment.

We must continue to build on our strengths if we are to get ahead of this epidemic. And we do have many strengths. Our collective skills, knowledge, commitment and experience will serve us well as we renew our efforts.

The success of the CSHA lies in its framework of partnerships. We must strengthen these partnerships and build new ones if we are to achieve a comprehensive, pan-Canadian response to HIV/AIDS.

Key Canadian Partners

Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network

A national coalition of Aboriginal people and organizations providing leadership, advocacy and support for Aboriginal people living with and/or affected by HIV/AIDS.

E-mail: info@caan.ca
Website: www.caan.ca

Canadian AIDS Society

CAS is a coalition of 115 community-based AIDS organizations across Canada. Its member organizations are directed by people living with HIV/AIDS and people from communities affected by HIV/AIDS. CAS's mandate is to speak as a national voice and act as a forum for a community-based response to HIV infection, as well as to advocate for persons so affected; to act as a resource for its member organizations; and to coordinate community-based participation in a national strategy on HIV/AIDS.

E-mail: casinfo@cdnaids.ca
Website: www.cdnaids.ca

Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange

CATIE is Canada's national bilingual source for HIV/AIDS treatment information. It provides information on HIV/AIDS treatments and related health care issues to people living with HIV/AIDS, their care providers and community-based organizations.

E-mail: info@catie.ca
Website: www.catie.ca

Canadian Association for HIV Research

CAHR is an association of Canadian HIV researchers. Members' interests include basic sciences, clinical sciences, epidemiology, public health and social sciences.

E-mail: info@cahr-acrv.ca
Website: www.cahr-acrv.ca

Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research

CANFAR is a national charitable foundation created to raise awareness in order to generate funds for research into all aspects of HIV infection and AIDS.

E-mail: cure@canfar.com
Website: www.canfar.com

Canadian HIV/AIDS Information Centre, Canadian Public Health Association

The Canadian HIV/AIDS Information Centre is the central Canadian source for information on HIV prevention, care and support to health and education professionals, AIDS service organizations, community organizations, resource centres and others with HIV/AIDS information needs.

E-mail: aidssida@cpha.ca
Website: www.aidssida.cpha.ca

Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network

The Legal Network promotes policy and legal responses to HIV/AIDS that respect the human rights of people with HIV/AIDS and those affected by the disease.

E-mail: info@aidslaw.ca
Website: www.aidslaw.ca

Canadian HIV Trials Network

The CTN is a partnership committed to developing treatments, vaccines and a cure for HIV disease and AIDS through the conduct of scientifically sound and ethical clinical trials.

E-mail: ctn@hivnet.ubc.ca
Website: www.hivnet.ubc.ca/ctn-eng.php

Canadian Institutes of Health Research

CIHR, Canada's major federal funding agency for health research, administers most of the research funds for the Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS. CIHR supports all aspects of health research, including biomedical, clinical science, health systems and services, and the social, cultural and other factors that affect the health of populations.

E-mail: info@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
Website: www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca

Canadian International Development Agency

CIDA's goal is to support sustainable development in order to reduce poverty and contribute to a more secure, equitable and prosperous world. HIV/AIDS - a key component of programming for CIDA and its many partners since 1987 - is one of the organization's four social development priorities.

E-mail: info@acdi-cida.gc.ca
Website: www.acdi-cida.gc.ca

Canadian Treatment Action Council

CTAC is a national organization that promotes better access to treatment on behalf of people living with HIV/AIDS. CTAC works with government, the pharmaceutical industry and other stakeholders to develop policy and systemic responses to treatment access issues.

E-mail: ctac@ctac.ca
Website: www.ctac.ca

Correctional Service Canada

CSC is a federal government department reporting to the Solicitor General of Canada. CSC plays an important national leadership role and contributes to the prevention, care and treatment of HIV/AIDS in the correctional environment.

E-mail: Poliquinlm@csc-scc.gc.ca
Website: www.csc-scc.gc.ca

Health Canada

Health Canada is the lead federal department for issues related to HIV/AIDS in Canada. The Department coordinates the Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS, which has an annual budget of $42.2 million. Several responsibility centres within Health Canada contribute to this work, including the Centre for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, the Departmental Program Evaluation Division, the Health Canada regional offices, and the International Affairs Directorate. Health Canada also works closely with the provinces and territories through such mechanisms as the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Advisory Committee on AIDS.

Website: www.hc-sc.gc.ca

Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development

ICAD is a coalition of Canadian AIDS service organizations, development NGOs, faith-based agencies, educational institutions and individuals interested in international HIV/AIDS issues. Its mission is to lesson the spread and impact of HIV/AIDS in resource-poor communities and countries by providing leadership and actively contributing to the Canadian and international responses.

E-mail: info@icad-cisd.com
Website: www.icad-cisd.com

International Council of AIDS Service Organizations

ICASO works to strengthen the community-based response to HIV/AIDS, connecting and representing AIDS service organizations in all regions of the world.

E-mail: icaso@icaso.org
Website: www.icaso.org

1. www.unaids.org/en/
2. Unless otherwise noted, all domestic epidemiological and surveillance data presented in this report have been provided by CIDPC.
3. HIV/AIDS - An Attitudinal Survey, conducted by Ekos Research Associates in March 2003.
4. C Olivier. HIV-related discrimination in New Brunswick increasing. Canadian HIV/AIDS Policy & Law Newsletter 2000; 5(2/3): 52.
5. J Leech. Survey reveals human rights abuses in Alberta. Canadian HIV/AIDS Policy & Law Review 2003; 8(1): 24.
6. S Kellington et al. Listen Up! Women are Talking About.... The social determinants of women's risk for HIV infection and illness in lower mainland British Columbia. Vancouver: Positive Women's Network, 1999, pp. 27-41.
7. Abstracts of these presentations can be found in the Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 14, Supplement A, March/April 2003.
8. The name change took effect April 1, 2003, with the approval of Health Canada. Evaluation surveys revealed that use of the word "clearinghouse" in the program's name often limited people's understanding and awareness of the broad range of value-added services offered by this program. The new name illustrates that the Centre is more than a source of HIV/AIDS posters, pamphlets and videos.
9. A best practice model is a targeted, sustainable, evidence-based initiative where information about the design, development, implementation, outcomes and experiences of the initiative is well documented and available in sufficient detail to allow its effectiveness to be assessed and the initiative to be adapted for implementation in other locations.

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