Information

May 2004

Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS (CSHA)

The Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS (CSHA) was launched in 1998 after extensive stakeholder consultations in the summer of 1997. It represented a shift from a disease-oriented approach to one that looks at the root causes, determinants of health and other dimensions of the HIV epidemic. People living with HIV/AIDS and those vulnerable to HIV infection are the focus and centre of CSHA efforts. In May 2004, Minister Pettigrew announced that the CSHA will double over the next five years to $84.4 million annually.

Pan-Canadian Approach - Canada has a complex network of community-based, institutional and governmental systems that strive for an appropriate and effective response to HIV/AIDS. All major stakeholders are considered significant partners in this response, linked by multiple working relationships and a shared determination to win the fight against HIV/AIDS.

The CSHA is built on partnerships. The federal government, provinces, territories, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community organizations, and those directly affected by HIV/AIDS all continue to work together in delivering a comprehensive, coordinated approach in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Government Partners - Health Canada, the lead federal department for issues related to HIV/AIDS in Canada, coordinates the CSHA nationally. The CSHA also includes Correctional Service Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research as federal government partners. Several federal departments and agencies, including the Canadian International Development Agency, also supplement the work of the CSHA in their own areas of jurisdiction. Over and above federal initiatives, provincial and territorial governments provide major support through contributions to the delivery of HIV/AIDS-related health care services, research and prevention activities.

National Coordinating Bodies include the Ministerial Council on HIV/AIDS, National Aboriginal Council on HIV/AIDS, and the Federal/Provincial/Territorial (FPT) Advisory Committee on AIDS.

National Stakeholders include the Canadian AIDS Society, Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network, International Coalition on AIDS and Development, Canadian Treatment Action Council, Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange, Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and the Canadian HIV/AIDS Information Centre.

The Report of the Standing Committee on Health, the Five Year Review of the CSHA and the HIV /AIDS action plan (2004-2008) will guide the renewal of the CSHA.