What the Numbers Reveal About HIV in Canada
How the latest data underscores the need for equity, accountability, and action in our HIV response
The latest update from CATIE on the epidemiology of HIV in Canada should give all of us pause. More than 63,000 people are living with HIV, and in 2022, an estimated 1,586 new diagnoses occurred. These numbers are not just statistics. They reflect a pattern of inequity, missed opportunities, and systems that continue to fail far too many.
Indigenous communities accounted for 23 percent of new HIV diagnoses in 2022, despite representing only five percent of the population. Black people made up 21 percent of new cases, though they comprise just four percent of Canada’s total population. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men made up 43 percent of all new diagnoses. People who use drugs continue to face significant risk as well.
None of this is new. It remains deeply unjust.
These numbers reflect more than individual risk. They point to structural neglect. They show how racism, colonization, poverty, stigma, criminalization, and a lack of access to affirming care continue to shape the reality of HIV in Canada. If we are serious about ending the epidemic, then we must be equally serious about confronting the systems that fuel it.
This is at the heart of the work I do. From advocating for U=U education, to challenging outdated laws that criminalize people living with HIV, to pushing for healthcare provider training that centers people rather than pathology, one thing is clear. The science means nothing if it does not reach the people who need it most.
Far too many people living with HIV in Canada have never heard the phrase "Undetectable equals Untransmittable." Far too many are diagnosed without proper support, without dignity, and without hope. And far too many are shut out of the conversations and decisions that shape their care and their future.
We have the tools to end the HIV epidemic. But tools alone are not enough. We need courage. We need commitment. We need community-led solutions that center those most impacted and ensure that equity is not an afterthought, but a foundation.
If these latest numbers tell us anything, it is that we still have a long way to go. They also remind me why this work matters. Behind every data point is a human being. Every one of them deserves more than survival. They deserve truth, care, and justice.
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