On September 25th, advocates and experts from across Canada and the world came together for an advocacy day on Parliament Hill to urge Canada to #LeadOnTB. This Hill Day – organized by Results Canada, Partners In Health, Stop TB Canada, Médecins Sans Frontières, TBPeople Canada, TBFighters, and CAAN – was a huge success. We are so grateful to the volunteers, participants, partners, and parliamentarians who took part.
Thank you to the 66 people who came to Ottawa to meet with 29 parliamentarians and discussed how Canada must be a leader in the fight against the world’s deadliest infectious disease: tuberculosis (TB). Meeting with parliamentarians is one of the most impactful advocacy actions you can take and so Hill Day made a big difference.
We are also grateful to the parliamentarians, advocates, partners, and supportive attendees who came to our pre-Hill Day reception on September 24. It was an evening of impactful connections and passionate discourse on TB. We highlighted what's needed to end this epidemic and highlight the incredible work being done right now to save millions of lives.
We were thrilled to welcome impactful speakers, including Ani Herna Sari from Indonesia who shared her inspiring story of fighting and beating multidrug-resistant TB, and our parliamentary cohosts, MP Salma Zahid, MP Ziad Aboultaif and MP Gord Johns. Thank you for helping us build the political momentum needed to ensure Canada will #LeadOnTB!
We also want to share our gratitude to MP Jacques Ramsay for standing up in the House of Commons to raise awareness of TB with Members of Parliament. Thank you for your passion and dedication to ending this disease around the world and in Canada.
While Canada has been a champion for TB elimination efforts through sustained investments in The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the Stop TB Partnership's TB REACH initiative, we are falling short on both global and national commitments.
Canada has failed to meet its fair share contribution to research and development for TB every year since the UN targets were set in 2018, and domestic investments are insufficient to end TB within our borders, which disproportionately affects Indigenous and newcomer populations.
However, there are many opportunities this year for Canada to be a leader in the quest to eliminate TB – the world's deadliest infectious disease – at home and abroad! We just need the political will to make it happen, which is what we worked on building on this Hill Day and at the reception.
Thank you.
