[Vancouver – July 28, 2026] As the world gathers in Rio for the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026), Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC) is calling on the Government of Canada to commit to multi-year funding for community-based HIV organizations after two decades of stagnant investment. CBRC is inviting people and organizations across Canada to sign its open letter and join in urging the federal government to End the HIV Epidemic, Not HIV Funding.
“Canada has all the tools it needs to end the HIV epidemic,” says Michael Kwag, CBRC’s Executive Director, who is in Rio with other CBRC representatives to share what is happening in Canada. “We have new technologies like HIV PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis), which prevent new infections. We have diverse testing options, including rapid self-testing, which makes it easier to know your status. And there’s clear scientific consensus that when someone living with HIV achieves an undetectable viral load through treatment, they can’t pass HIV on to others. Yet still, with all these developments, Canada is failing to turn the tide.”
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada’s most recent estimates, there were 2,517 new HIV infections in Canada in 2024, a 22.8% increase over 2022, when 2,050 new infections were estimated. Furthermore, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men made up 42% of new HIV infections in 2022 despite making up less than 5% of the general population.
“This is the time when we should be investing more in Canada’s HIV response,” says Kwag. “Instead, the federal government has placed HIV funding on the chopping block. After more than twenty years of stagnant funding, it still hasn’t committed to providing stable, multi-year support for community-based organizations. Now we’re hearing that the two main federal funding programs — the HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund and the Harm Reduction Fund — could be cut. That has communities across the country deeply concerned.”
“2S/LGBTQIA+ communities and organizations have been behind some of the greatest successes in Canada’s HIV response,” says Brook Biggin, CBRC’s Director of Education, Knowledge Mobilization, and Policy. “We advocated for treatment options when there were none. We helped expand access to PrEP and new testing technologies to prevent new HIV infections. We took the message of U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) to communities across the country to combat stigma and discrimination. This progress did not happen by accident. This work was led by the community for many years. Cutting community-based HIV funding puts decades of progress at risk.”
To address this threat, CBRC has launched the End the HIV Epidemic, Not HIV Funding campaign, calling on 2S/LGBTQIA+ communities, organizations, and allies across Canada to stand with us by signing and sharing our open letter urging the Government of Canada to commit to sustained, multi-year funding for community-based HIV organizations before it’s too late. The letter calls on the Government of Canada to:
- Maintain Canada’s HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund (CAF) and Harm Reduction Fund (HRF) at current levels.
- Have the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health complete a study on HIV funding that meaningfully includes the voices of 2S/LGBTQIA+ communities, people living with HIV, and the organizations who serve them.
- Form a steering committee inclusive of people living with HIV, community-based organizations, and health system stakeholders to guide any review of CAF or HRF that may result in changed funding scale or scope.
For more information about the End the HIV Epidemic, Not HIV Funding campaign, including links to our open letters and our fact sheet, please visit hivfunding.ca.
ABOUT CBRC
Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC) promotes the health of people of diverse sexualities and genders through research and intervention development. CBRC’s core pillars of community-led research, knowledge exchange, network building, and leadership development position the organization as a thought leader, transforming ideas into actions that make a difference in our communities. CBRC was incorporated in 1999 and is a non-profit charitable organization. Our main office is located in Vancouver, British Columbia, with staff working remotely across Canada.
Media Contact:
Michael Ianni
Media Relations
[email protected]
604.345.7689
url="https://assets.nationbuilder.com/cbrc/pages/9548/attachments/original/1785180402/Press_release_HIV_campaign_EN.pdf?1785180402
