Dr Julio Montaner, head of the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS is proud of what he and his Province have achieved in reducing HIV transmission rates through treatment as prevention strategies. It’s a trend he doesn’t see elsewhere in Canada, not that he hasn’t tried to make it happen.
“The public needs to get incensed” he said to me last week. “I‘ve been in the White House three times in the last three years. I‘ve seen Obama, I‘ve seen Clinton. In December1 last year the US said treatment as prevention is the way forward and they are going to be doing it domestically and internationally. And you know, I‘m honoured by it. But I‘m frustrated that my own country keeps on telling me – well, we are not so sure that we agree. Every time that I write to them I get a form letter saying thank you, we acknowledge we have received your correspondence. The Honourable Iona Aglukkaq (Minister of Health) doesn’t have time on her calendar, I wrote to Michaelle Jean, when she was the Governor-General she didn’t answer, I wrote to the Prime Minister – same answer.”