Health Minister Tony Clement has marked World AIDS Day by appointing two people to head a key panel that advises the government on HIV-AIDS related issues.
The move is intended to reaffirm Canada's commitment to fighting the disease in Canada and around the world.
Dr. Brian Conway and John C. Plater are the new co-chairs of the 13-member council.
Plater is a former vice president of the Canadian Hemophilia Society, while Conway is the president of the Canadian Association of HIV Research.
Clement also announced the government would spend $84 million in the coming 2008-09 year to fight the disease. It would be the most ever spent by Canada in a one-year period.
Internationally, Canada has spent over $480 million since 2006 on battling HIV-AIDS and to support programs that respond to the epidemic in developing nations.
Michael Messenger of World Vision says the Canadian public wants to support anti-HIV-AIDS programs around the world, but politicians need to do more.
"A poll showed that Canadians of all the G7 countries are the most compassionate when it comes to HIV and AIDS - it's a direct connection to how aware we are compared to other countries on the problem," Messenger said.
"But unfortunately, the leadership we've shown as a country has not matched that level of commitment."
On Thursday, Clement will meet with Canadian non-governmental organizations working in the field of HIV-AIDS.
Other initiatives
Meanwhile, U.S. President George Bush on Friday urged congress to approve $30 billion in new funding to help fight the disease over the next five years.
He also said he would travel to Africa next year to get a closer look at the impact of AIDS and to highlight the need for greater efforts.
"We dedicate ourselves to a great purpose: We will turn the tide against HIV/AIDS -- once and for all," Bush said. "I look forward to seeing the results of America's generosity."
Bush made the comments at a tiny Methodist church in Maryland that supports a Christian group home and school in Namibia for children left orphans by the disease.
Bush has put more of a focus in recent years on the fight against AIDS. As a result, the number of people in sub-Saharan Africa receiving treatment for AIDS has gone from 50,000 five years ago to almost 1.4 million now.
"We have pioneered a new model for public health," Bush said. "So far, the results have been striking."
Also on Friday, the White House announced that the Department of Homeland Security would bring in new policies to reduce discrimination against people with AIDS.
One of the changes will be the establishment of a broad waiver for HIV-positive people seeking short-term visas to enter the U.S.
Since 1993, HIV-positive applicants require a waiver in order to qualify for a visa.
Elsewhere in the world on Saturday, countries undertook new efforts in honour of World AIDS Day.
In Afghanistan, an AIDS-themed performance highlighted the effects of the disease.
In India, the Red Ribbon Express train departed on a cross-country journey, complete with rooms for counselling and educational materials and programs.
Thailand's health ministry announced more funding to fight the disease as well as new programs, including making condoms more readily available.
