Madam Speaker, our government is committed to addressing HIV and hepatitis C in Canada and recognizes that community-based organizations are central to the Canadian response to these infections.
Achieving our goal requires a comprehensive approach that includes a strong focus on vulnerable populations, with interventions that have the greatest potential to make an impact. Canada has made great progress in addressing HIV and hepatitis C over more than three decades of responding to these epidemics. However, there is still work to do.
As members may know, Canada has committed to meeting the global UNAIDS 90-90-90 HIV targets by 2020, meaning that 90% of HIV-positive people know their status, that 90% of people who know their status receive treatment, and that 90% of those on treatment have suppressed viral loads.
The Government of Canada continues to work closely with the provinces and territories, community organizations, and scientific and medical communities to reach the 90-90-90 targets and those for viral hepatitis by engaging with communities to strengthen prevention and access to testing and treatment services, by enhancing surveillance to monitor progress, and by providing screening and testing guidance to help professionals.
As part of these broader efforts to address HIV and hepatitis C, the Public Health Agency of Canada recently announced its decision related to funding of community-based organization projects under its new HIV and hepatitis C community action fund.
The development and implementation of the fund has been a significant but necessary undertaking to refocus our efforts in preventing and controlling HIV and hepatitis C. These funding decisions followed an open and competitive solicitation based on priorities set in collaboration with provinces and territories, community-based organizations, people living with HIV or hepatitis C, and other stakeholders and partners.
I would like to reiterate that the funding our government provides to community-based organizations has not diminished. It remains steady at $26.4 million annually and continues to support time-limited projects across Canada. While 124 organizations were successful in the application process for the community action fund, including 41 new organizations, others were not. These included some organizations that had been funded previously under the program. For some of these organizations, the loss of project funding for the next year was disappointing. For others, this represents the loss of an important source of funding, which could impact the sustainability of the organizations and their work.
Our government has heard the concerns of these organizations, and in an effort to help those organizations through the transition, PHAC has been directed to provide up to one year of transitional project funding on a case-by-case basis, which would end on March 31, 2018.
PHAC will work closely with each organization to determine the funding amount that will be provided and the work that can be achieved over one year. Furthermore, PHAC is working with organizations that were approved at lower amounts than previously, in comparison to the current funding, to help them transition as well.
The fund is designed to ensure that funding supports areas where there is the greatest burden based on current rates of HIV and hepatitis C.
We still have a lot more to do if we are going to stop the spread of these serious but preventable diseases. That is why it is important that we continue to work hand in hand with provinces and territories, as well as with stakeholder partners and people living with HIV and hepatitis C, to have the greatest impact possible.