Thank you for highlighting this important issue. You're absolutely right, it's an issue that has global relevance and, like you, I am pleased that our country is supporting further investments in the Global Fund.
In Canada, we have a tremendous amount of work to do on these issues like HIV and hepatitis C. Like you, I'm recognizing there's more work to be done. One of the things we have increasingly done in the health portfolio is to bring together all partners, to recognize the important role that each of the members of the health portfolio have on the matter of HIV. We've increasingly made sure that the Public Health Agency of Canada is working closely with the first nations and Inuit health branch and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, because all of the groups within the portfolio have a role to play.
In fact, we did get new investments in the budget to expand the federal initiative on HIV in the order of $30 million of new funding that will support this. That will allow us to look at the very questions that you're asking in terms of these groups that had concerns about potential funding cutbacks.
I will ask the president of Public Health Agency or Dr. Tam to clarify whether, in fact, every single organization was able to get bridge funding to make sure it continued right through until March 2018. With this new funding that came in the budget, we will of course be looking at all of those groups to make sure that we provide good, smart investments going forward to the groups that are delivering well on the ground.