Canada's Report on HIV/AIDS 2004

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3 Reporting on Progress

Canada's Report on HIV/AIDS 2004 describes the activities and progress of CSHA partners in five key areas:

• coordinating HIV/AIDS policy and programming
• enhancing Canadian engagement in the HIV/AIDS response
• advancing the science of HIV/AIDS
• increasing the use of reliable information
• strengthening Canada's capacity to address HIV/AIDS

As in previous years, most of the information presented in this section of the report is directly related to activities funded through the CSHA. However, efforts have been made to also include information on activities and achievements that are not funded by the CSHA but that constitute an important part of the Canadian response. This is intended to reflect the concept of pan-Canadianism. The work of many participants from many different sectors is needed to ensure an effective response to HIV/AIDS.

Additional information on the CSHA, and specifically on the Public Health Agency of Canada's HIV/AIDS policies and programs, can be found on the CSHA web site at www.aidsida.com. Similarly, information on other CSHA partners' programs and initiatives can be found on their respective web sites, which are listed in the Key National Partners section of this document (see page 48). Please note that at the time covered in this report, Health Canada was responsible for the population and public health activities now covered by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Leading Together - An Action Plan by Canadians, for Canadians

Canada's HIV/AIDS response can be traced to a small number of volunteer-based community groups that mobilized in the early 1980s to provide care and support to gay men - the first and still the largest group affected by the disease. So it is fitting that 20 years later, the HIV/AIDS community has played a key role in calling for and developing Canada's new action plan for HIV/AIDS.

From the first Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS (CSHA) direction-setting meeting at Gray Rocks in the fall of 2000, where participants called for a five-year strategic plan, community advocates and front-line workers have been fully involved in activities leading to the creation of the action plan. There was community participation throughout its conception and development. The process was specifically designed to ensure that community organizations had a strong voice.

Organized and facilitated by a consulting firm hired by CIDPC, the consultations on Leading Together, An HIV/AIDS Action Plan for All Canada included visits to nine major urban centres across Canada in late 2003 and early 2004 to involve community-based organizations and others in a dialogue on the proposed action plan. Four sessions were held in each centre:

• a broad, multi-sectoral session that included community-based organizations, federal/provincial/territorial governments, the health care sector and others
• a session for people living with HIV/AIDS
• a session for vulnerable populations (for example, women, gay men over 40, injection drug users [IDUs], Aboriginal people), with the targeted population group varying from city to city
• a session for stakeholder groups, including community-based groups (in Winnipeg, for example, Aboriginal groups were involved, while in Vancouver the session focussed on groups working with IDUs)

Community groups and individuals were also invited to provide input to the action plan by telephone, through written submissions or by completing an on-line survey. In a separate process, CIDPC gathered feedback on the draft action plan from colleagues across the federal government and the provinces/territories.

The presence of the HIV/AIDS community is evident throughout the draft document, from the call for safe drug injection sites to the emphasis on ensuring people living with HIV/AIDS have access to the basic necessities of life - food and shelter, an adequate and dependable income, and health and social services. Many community-based groups see the action plan as both a planning tool and as a means for monitoring action by those involved in the response.

According to the report from the consultant who led the consultations, " .... even the most critical participants were willing to make a 'leap of faith' with Leading Together. Participants set out a wide range of thoughtful responses on how to sharpen and strengthen the proposed strategies. We are grateful for their time, their passion and their honesty."

In short, the title of the document - Leading Together, An HIV/AIDS Action Plan for All Canada - reflects the true collaborative spirit that has given voice to the hopes and needs of Canada's HIV/AIDS community as well as many other organizations and individuals involved in the response.

The action plan is expected to be launched in early 2005.

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