From the launch of the Federal Initiative in 2004–05 through the end of the 2017–18 fiscal year, more than $123 million in total has been diverted or withheld from committed HIV funding. Services and organizations have either closed or have discontinued some programs, despite the clear need.
Community organizations across the country have called for an adequately funded federal HIV strategy for decades. In June 2019, federal MPs reiterated this call, when the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health once again unanimously recommended an increase in federal funding for just the HIV response, this time to $100 million annually.
This brief provides a short overview of the issue, summarizes key facts and resources, and details priorities for action.