It’s heartening that after Xtra published its recent interview with progressive Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett over Canadian federal AIDS funding, Toronto’s Globe and Mail also weighed in to support such calls.

Seriously, provincial HIV/AIDS prevention and support networks are being compromised by the Harper Tory federal government’s refusal to clarify when funding cuts will be made, so that they may be forced to deal with administrative details rather than actual prevention and support activities. Ontarian and Quebecois prevention and support programmes have already lost about a quarter to thirty percent of their federal funding, forcing them to lay off staff and cut programmes, and Alberta is expected to be next. IV drug users, gay men and prisoners are likely to be worst affected due to the prevention cutbacks.

As noted in Xtra, Liberal Opposition health spokesperson Carolyn Bennett is scathing about the Harper administration’s neglect of HIV/AIDS, citing Harper’s refusal to attend an international HIV/AIDS conference, and provide continued approval for Vancouver’s Insite supervised safe injecting premises as glaring inadequacies.

Canadian Federal Health Minister Tony Clement was unavailable for comment, and there were only vague statements about ongoing programme support and funding levels from his ministerial representatives.

 Recommended:

 Shannon Montgomery: “AIDS groups fear federal funding cuts” Globe and Mail: 18.05.08: http://www.globeandmail.com

Canadian HIV/AIDS funding fightback website:

http://www.increaseAIDSfunding.ca