Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House that November 24 to December 1 is National AIDS Awareness Week.
Some people believe that HIV/AIDS is cured in Canada and no longer presents a serious threat. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the number of people living with HIV in Canada continues to grow. There is no cure and a vaccine is years away.
It is true that people are living longer because of improved treatment. However the medications do not come without serious side effects and they are not a cure. Drug treatments are also failing many people with drug resistant strains of HIV turning up in Canada and around the globe. Still way too many Canadians are contracting this preventable illness.
AIDS Awareness Week is not just a time for us to acknowledge that HIV/AIDS is a continuing health problem. We must also recognize that people living with this disease continue to face stigma and discrimination. We must end the silence around HIV/AIDS if we are going to gain ground on this virus.