August 15, 2007

Putting the ‘Can’ in Canada

A recent Ipsos Reid poll conducted by the Canadian Coalition for Youth and HIV/AIDS in Africa indicates that a majority of Canadian citizens feel Ottawa needs to step up its AIDS treatment spending in Africa and other developing countries.

At a press conference last week, members of the coalition confronted Canadian officials on the issue, joined by former UN envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa Stephen Lewis. Lewis urged the government to commit to donating $900 million to the Global Fund over the next three years, diverting funds from defense spending in Afghanistan.