December 1, 2003
World AIDS Day
Hon. Jim Rondeau (Minister of Healthy Living): Mr. Speaker, I have a statement for the House.
Mr. Speaker, Manitoba's provincial AIDS strategy recognizes the special needs of Aboriginal people and identifies the presence of HIV-AIDS in the Aboriginal community as a priority. I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Shannon McDonald, who will chair the round table community review of the Aboriginal strategy on AIDS.
The round table session will make sure the strategy reflects recently held community consultations and that input from Aboriginal leaders and communities is also included in the final document. Participants in the round table discussions will include representatives from the Aboriginal leadership community organization and elders, regional health authorities, federal government department representatives, community service organizations and people living with and affected by HIV-AIDS.
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The final strategy will provide clear goals, strategic directions and recommendations for policy makers, Aboriginal leaders, service providers, community members and others affected by HIV-AIDS throughout the province. Manitoba Health supports several prevention programs on sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV-AIDS. These programs include: $80,000 in funding for a co-ordinator to help prevent, diagnose and treat sexually transmitted diseases including HIV-AIDS in the Burntwood Regional Health Authority; public health nurses in correctional facilities around the province to deliver culturally relevant sexually transmitted disease education and programming to offenders. Manitoba and New Brunswick are the only provinces providing public health nurses in correctional facilities; a new educational campaign for youth on sexually transmitted disease is in development, including accurate educational materials, information on region-specific issues and trends and usable resources for youth across Manitoba. Manitoba Health partnered with Teen Talk to conduct province-wide youth consultations for this campaign; several educational initiatives are sponsored by Manitoba Health bringing together researchers, policy makers and the community to discuss issues around HIV-AIDS.
I want to mark World AIDS Day here in Manitoba by taking a moment to honour those living with HIV-AIDS and to remember friends and loved ones who have succumbed to this disease. I would like all of us to take one minute of silence to reflect on the tragedy of this epidemic and the opportunities in front of us to take action and make a difference. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
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