Dee
08-18-2006, 04:39 AM
I am so proud of Stephen Lewis, and at the same time I'm deeply disgusted and ashamed of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Harper government holds off AIDS announcement: conference too "politicized" (http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/17082006/2/xhealth-harper-government-holds-aids-announcement-conference-politicized.html&printer=1)
Thu Aug 17, 8:20 PM
By Sheryl Ubelacker
TORONTO (CP) - Stephen Harper's government will not make any announcements about bolstering HIV funding before the close of the International AIDS Conference because the prime minister says the issue has become too "politicized."
Nor will Harper's government say this week whether it plans to renew support for North America's only safe-injection site for drug users in Vancouver - a decision that had the opposition Liberals fuming Thursday.
A spokesman for Health Minister Tony Clement confirmed that there will be no announcement before the AIDS Conference in Toronto wraps up Friday and an estimated 24,000 delegates return to their homes around the world.
"The government of Canada is strongly committed to the fight against HIV-AIDS and continues to commit a significant amount of money to this issue," his press secretary Erik Waddell said by e-mail. "Our government is committed to doing more in the future."
During a trip to Whitehorse on Wednesday, Harper said his government is providing significant funding for research into preventing and treating HIV-AIDS, with more to be announced in coming weeks.
"Unfortunately, the issue has been so politicized this week that this is probably not the time for us to make additional announcements," Harper said.
Clement spoke briefly to reporters Thursday evening on his way into a reception for Canadian delegates but would not comment on why the expected funding announcement wouldn't be made during the conference.
"Well, I think the prime minister has answered that question and so I have nothing further to add on that. The only thing I can say is that he is absolutely committed to a new announcement very soon, so that will occur," the health minister said.
At a news briefing at the conference, interim Liberal Leader Bill Graham and B.C. MP Keith Martin slammed Harper and his government for choosing not to announce measures that would show Canada's commitment to dealing with the AIDS pandemic, both globally and at home.
"And this was an opportunity to show leadership and to genuinely help, and if the money comes, great," Graham said. "But it would be a shame that it couldn't be done in a way with the global community that's here, and so many young Canadians could've said, 'We're proud of you.' "
Martin called the government's postponement of an announcement reprehensible and appalling.
"It shows a complete lack of respect for this disease and for the people who suffer from it and for the people who work in it," he said. "The government has been missing here. They've showed no presence, no plan, no money."
Clement has attended some events during AIDS 2006, but a news conference he had scheduled earlier in the week was scrapped and when he toured the conference's Global Village for HIV-AIDS groups on Thursday, the visit was not brought to the attention of the media.
Stephen Lewis, UN special envoy for AIDS in Africa, dismissed Harper's "politicized" comment as preposterous.
"It just shows the chaos of their activity, there's just no focus at all. . . . The Conservatives have known for many months that this conference was coming," he said.
In fact, Lewis said he had been told by government representatives that a number of new funding initiatives were virtually ready and that a planned announcement "was going to dwarf anything they had done before."
"They've left a sour taste in everyone's mouth. The entire activist, research, scientific world is now skeptical about Canada's intention and motives.
"So even when the announcement does come - no matter how good it is - it will be viewed skeptically. They've just done themselves damage."
But conference co-chair Dr. Mark Wainberg, softening his previously vociferous criticism of Harper's absence from the meeting, said that perhaps Ottawa's announcement - when it does materialize - will be better than initially anticipated.
"I would much rather the government take its time, come back two weeks from now or so with a funding package that will be truly meaningful," he said, "instead of announcing something here that might not represent truly new dollars in what we think is the most vital war that we are now waging in the human condition."
Graham and Martin also urged the Tory government to extend the legal exemption under which Vancouver's safe-injection site operates, saying that shutting it down would potentially condemn thousands of people to death from AIDS or hepatitis C.
The licence for the pilot project, which offers about 6,000 registered drug users access to clean needles as well as counselling, is due to expire next month. It needs federal approval to continue and the government has not said whether it will stay open.
Harper said Wednesday that his government has not yet decided what to do about the safe-injection program. Insite, as it's called, is located in Vancouver's seedy Downtown Eastside, its streets home to drug users, prostitutes and others on society's fringes.
"We are undertaking some evaluations, but this government's concentration in the fight against drugs in the next few years will be on enforcement, prevention and treatment," he added.
But Martin said the evidence is clear that Insite saves lives - and he suggested that Harper is choosing to follow an ideological viewpoint, rather than science.
"It speaks to a lot of issues that Mr. Harper and the new Conservative party are off-side with Canadians, with respect to substance abuse, injection (drug) use . . . homosexuality, women, the poor and international relations."
Thomas Kerr of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV-AIDS said several studies he has helped conduct show that the three-year-old safe-injection site has prevented infection from shared needles and does not promote drug use nor increase related crime.
Harper government holds off AIDS announcement: conference too "politicized" (http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/17082006/2/xhealth-harper-government-holds-aids-announcement-conference-politicized.html&printer=1)
Thu Aug 17, 8:20 PM
By Sheryl Ubelacker
TORONTO (CP) - Stephen Harper's government will not make any announcements about bolstering HIV funding before the close of the International AIDS Conference because the prime minister says the issue has become too "politicized."
Nor will Harper's government say this week whether it plans to renew support for North America's only safe-injection site for drug users in Vancouver - a decision that had the opposition Liberals fuming Thursday.
A spokesman for Health Minister Tony Clement confirmed that there will be no announcement before the AIDS Conference in Toronto wraps up Friday and an estimated 24,000 delegates return to their homes around the world.
"The government of Canada is strongly committed to the fight against HIV-AIDS and continues to commit a significant amount of money to this issue," his press secretary Erik Waddell said by e-mail. "Our government is committed to doing more in the future."
During a trip to Whitehorse on Wednesday, Harper said his government is providing significant funding for research into preventing and treating HIV-AIDS, with more to be announced in coming weeks.
"Unfortunately, the issue has been so politicized this week that this is probably not the time for us to make additional announcements," Harper said.
Clement spoke briefly to reporters Thursday evening on his way into a reception for Canadian delegates but would not comment on why the expected funding announcement wouldn't be made during the conference.
"Well, I think the prime minister has answered that question and so I have nothing further to add on that. The only thing I can say is that he is absolutely committed to a new announcement very soon, so that will occur," the health minister said.
At a news briefing at the conference, interim Liberal Leader Bill Graham and B.C. MP Keith Martin slammed Harper and his government for choosing not to announce measures that would show Canada's commitment to dealing with the AIDS pandemic, both globally and at home.
"And this was an opportunity to show leadership and to genuinely help, and if the money comes, great," Graham said. "But it would be a shame that it couldn't be done in a way with the global community that's here, and so many young Canadians could've said, 'We're proud of you.' "
Martin called the government's postponement of an announcement reprehensible and appalling.
"It shows a complete lack of respect for this disease and for the people who suffer from it and for the people who work in it," he said. "The government has been missing here. They've showed no presence, no plan, no money."
Clement has attended some events during AIDS 2006, but a news conference he had scheduled earlier in the week was scrapped and when he toured the conference's Global Village for HIV-AIDS groups on Thursday, the visit was not brought to the attention of the media.
Stephen Lewis, UN special envoy for AIDS in Africa, dismissed Harper's "politicized" comment as preposterous.
"It just shows the chaos of their activity, there's just no focus at all. . . . The Conservatives have known for many months that this conference was coming," he said.
In fact, Lewis said he had been told by government representatives that a number of new funding initiatives were virtually ready and that a planned announcement "was going to dwarf anything they had done before."
"They've left a sour taste in everyone's mouth. The entire activist, research, scientific world is now skeptical about Canada's intention and motives.
"So even when the announcement does come - no matter how good it is - it will be viewed skeptically. They've just done themselves damage."
But conference co-chair Dr. Mark Wainberg, softening his previously vociferous criticism of Harper's absence from the meeting, said that perhaps Ottawa's announcement - when it does materialize - will be better than initially anticipated.
"I would much rather the government take its time, come back two weeks from now or so with a funding package that will be truly meaningful," he said, "instead of announcing something here that might not represent truly new dollars in what we think is the most vital war that we are now waging in the human condition."
Graham and Martin also urged the Tory government to extend the legal exemption under which Vancouver's safe-injection site operates, saying that shutting it down would potentially condemn thousands of people to death from AIDS or hepatitis C.
The licence for the pilot project, which offers about 6,000 registered drug users access to clean needles as well as counselling, is due to expire next month. It needs federal approval to continue and the government has not said whether it will stay open.
Harper said Wednesday that his government has not yet decided what to do about the safe-injection program. Insite, as it's called, is located in Vancouver's seedy Downtown Eastside, its streets home to drug users, prostitutes and others on society's fringes.
"We are undertaking some evaluations, but this government's concentration in the fight against drugs in the next few years will be on enforcement, prevention and treatment," he added.
But Martin said the evidence is clear that Insite saves lives - and he suggested that Harper is choosing to follow an ideological viewpoint, rather than science.
"It speaks to a lot of issues that Mr. Harper and the new Conservative party are off-side with Canadians, with respect to substance abuse, injection (drug) use . . . homosexuality, women, the poor and international relations."
Thomas Kerr of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV-AIDS said several studies he has helped conduct show that the three-year-old safe-injection site has prevented infection from shared needles and does not promote drug use nor increase related crime.