The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, the Canadian Professional Association for Transgender Health (CPATH) and the HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO), are jointly intervening in a landmark case before the Court of Appeal for Ontario regarding whether doctors can put their personal religious beliefs ahead of patients’ rights to health care.
The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network is pleased to share with you Overdue for a Change: Scaling Up Supervised Consumption Services in Canada. Our summary brief describes the key findings and recommendations of a research project that was undertaken in 2018 to explore the current state of supervised consumption services (SCS) in Canada, to monitor legal … Read more
December 1, 2018 — Today, on World AIDS Day, federal Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould announced a new directive to help limit unjust prosecutions against people living with HIV in Canada. This new directive, which comes after years of advocacy by the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and many partner organizations, is consistent with Justice Canada’s own … Read more
With World AIDS Day just days away, over 100 health and human rights organizations are collectively calling on the federal government to take immediate action, in consultation with experts and people living with HIV, to end the overly broad use of the criminal law against people living with HIV.
Highlights of our work in Canada and around the world from April 1, 2017, to March 31, 2018.
November 22, 2018 – We, the undersigned, believe that Canada must commit to reducing the harms caused by its current drug laws. In response to Health Canada’s request for input on how to strengthen the federal government’s approach to substance use issues through the Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy (CDSS), our organizations are calling upon … Read more
November 5, 2018 It’s past time for action by the federal government. On World AIDS Day 2016, the federal Justice Minister declared that Canada must address the “overcriminalization of HIV” that contributes to HIV stigma and undermines public health. She also committed to working with the provinces, affected communities and medical professionals to this end. … Read more
October 31, 2018 Dear Minister Elliott: We write to you as organizations concerned about the health and welfare of some of the most vulnerable Ontarians, in response to the October 22 announcement that your government plans to replace supervised consumption sites (SCS) and low-barrier overdose prevention sites (OPS) with “Consumption and Treatment Services.”
“Dear Minister: Re: Commitment to take action to end “overcriminalization of HIV” in Canada? I write further to our letter of August 3rd and following recent discussions with representatives of your office and of your department regarding measures your government could take to follow through on your previously stated concern about the overly broad use … Read more
October 17, 2018 — Today marks an important step forward in Canada’s drug policy, as the legal regulation of cannabis for non-medical purposes takes effect. The Legal Network welcomes this important development toward sensible drug policy, but more must be done to uphold the health and human rights of people who use drugs in this … Read more