End the HIV Epidemic, Not HIV Funding
Canada’s HIV funding is on the chopping block. Join us today and tell the federal government to end the HIV epidemic, not HIV funding.
Canada has all the tools it needs to end the HIV epidemic. HIV PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) prevent new infections. Diverse testing options, including rapid self-testing and online testing platforms, make it easier than ever to get tested. And there’s a clear scientific consensus that when someone living with HIV takes their treatment and achieves an undetectable viral load, they can’t pass HIV on sexually to others.
Despite this, Canada’s government has failed to turn the tide on HIV. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada’s most recent HIV estimates, there were 2,517 new HIV infections in Canada in 2024, a 22.8% increase over 2022, when 2,050 new infections were estimated1. Furthermore, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) made up 42% of new HIV infections in 2022 despite making up less than 5% of the general population2.
However, instead of investing more in Canada’s HIV response, the federal government has placed HIV funding on the chopping block. After two decades of stagnant HIV funding levels, the Government of Canada has failed to commit to providing multi-year community-based HIV funding. Furthermore, news of a possible reduction to the two primary sources of federal community-based HIV funding, the HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund (CAF) and Harm Reduction Fund (HRF), has raised serious alarm in our communities.
Cutting HIV funding will end essential programs and services that help Canadians access prevention, testing, and treatment. It will place the health of Canada’s 2S/LGBTQIA+ communities, Indigenous communities, African, Caribbean and Black communities, and people who use drugs at even greater risk. It will reverse progress made, move us further from our goals, and cost Canadian taxpayers more money in the future as we struggle to catch up.
2S/LGBTQIA+ communities and organizations have been behind some of the greatest successes in Canada’s HIV response. We advocated for treatment options when there were none. We drove uptake of HIV PrEP and new testing technologies to curb new HIV infections. And we spread the word about U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) to combat stigma and discrimination. This work was led by the community. Cutting community-based HIV funding puts decades of progress at risk.
What we’re asking
The Government of Canada’s choices over these next few months will be crucial. Your help can make the difference, strengthening Canada’s HIV response and helping us end Canada’s HIV epidemic.
Want to learn more about Canada’s current HIV and HIV funding context?
Click below to access our End the HIV Epidemic, Not HIV Funding campaign fact sheet.
View the fact sheetFor more information, or for press inquiries, please write to us at [email protected].