Canada's Report on HIV/AIDS 2002
Lessons Learned: Reframing the Response

Message from the Minister

It is not only on World AIDS Day 2002 that we should reflect on the state of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, both in Canada and internationally, but certainly this day calls to our attention the need to continue to do more, to contemplate the challenges that lie ahead and evaluate our successes.
As described in this annual report, progress is being made. We have a solid infrastructure for addressing the epidemic in Canada and for cooperating with partners abroad. Much good work has already been done, but the challenges ahead are significant.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Canada grows more complex each day. At-risk populations are difficult to reach and continue to face stigma, marginalization, prejudice and discrimination. These populations include individuals who inject drugs, sex trade workers, prisoners, gay men, as well as women and children from HIV-endemic countries. As well, there are complicated links between HIV, other sexually transmitted infections and hepatitis C. HIV/AIDS treatments that showed promise some years ago are now failing, and we are not achieving a sustained reduction in HIV transmission. Even with the knowledge and resources we have at hand in Canada, about 4 200 new HIV infections occur in this country each year.

The Government of Canada's commitment to combat HIV/AIDS is steadfast. The Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS (CSHA) is a comprehensive, pan-Canadian response to the epidemic that respects the values of social justice. Working with CSHA partners here and abroad, the Government of Canada is more resolved than ever to reducing the spread of HIV, ensuring care, treatment and support for people living with HIV/AIDS, finding a cure for AIDS, and ensuring that government policy takes into account the importance of protecting human rights.

We have learned much during the first five years of implementing the CSHA – lessons that will help galvanize future efforts. These efforts include those required for the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS. Also, a strategic plan is being developed collectively by all CSHA partners that will carry us forward and enable Canada to more effectively respond to the challenges that lie ahead. As Minister of Health, I remain committed to strengthening Canada's response to this epidemic.

Canadians need to be part of the solution, and I hope that reading this report will encourage you to join these efforts. One individual at a time, one community at a time, across the country, we can make a difference.

A. Anne McLellan
Minister of Health
November 2002

Message from the Ministerial Council on HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS is a devastating disease that affects all Canadians and all sectors of society. The Ministerial Council on HIV/AIDS endorses a pan-Canadian response and is working to broaden the engagement of federal government departments, to enhance links with provincial/territorial counterparts, and to ensure the active participation of those living with or at risk of HIV/AIDS.

Like many other Canadians, the Ministerial Council is aware of the frightening magnitude of the global epidemic. Equally disturbing is recent evidence about changing Canadian perceptions of the disease. AIDS is no longer widely viewed as an urgent public policy or health issue. This in spite of the fact that the epidemic continues to take a heavy toll on men who have sex with men and injection drug users and is increasingly spreading to include those infected through heterosexual transmission.

The Ministerial Council is well positioned to advise the federal Minister of Health on pan-Canadian aspects of HIV/AIDS. Its membership encompasses all aspects of the epidemic, including people living with HIV/AIDS, front-line workers, health care providers, researchers and human rights experts.

Over the past year, Council has helped to increase the knowledge and awareness of determinants of health issues among federal departments. It has also advised the Minister on the legal and human rights questions raised by the proposed Blood Samples Act, the medical use of marijuana and issues related to women, gay men, injection drug users, Aboriginal people, and African and Caribbean people from HIV-endemic countries. As well, it continued to highlight the urgent and growing need for increased funding for the CSHA.

We fully endorse the UNAIDS slogan for World AIDS Day – "Live and let live." This slogan focusses on stigma and discrimination, which are contributing to the spread of HIV/AIDS in Canada and around the world. It brings home the fact that all Canadians are affected by HIV/AIDS, and we all need to be part of a strengthened response. To this end, the Ministerial Council will continue to work with the Minister of Health to increase awareness and understanding of HIV/AIDS and to more fully engage political leaders, government departments, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and individual Canadians in a human rights-based response to this epidemic.