 As a proud Canadian woman, it is my pleasure to introduce the Canadian Minister of Health, Leona Agluca. Minister Agluca was first elected to the House of Commons in October 2008, where she became the first Anuk to be sworn into the federal cabinet, serving as Minister of Health in every cabinet since. Prior to federal politics, Ms. Agluca served in the Nunavut Legislative Assembly as the member of the Legislative Assembly for mental health. Ms. Agluca has always fought hard for inuit issues that she was raised to believe in, which now includes HIV. I present the Honourable Minister, Ms. Agluca. It's an honour to be here to be co-hosting this session with my good friend, Secretary Sebelius. On behalf of people living with HIV, I would like to interject. Your cuts to heart health care are criminal and shameful. You have a shameful record on human rights. Your ideologically driven policy over evidence is criminal. On behalf of people living with HIV in Canada and those of us at risk, we turn your back to you. I would like to ask that all of you agree with us, Joy, during our Minister's speech. I'm told I can continue. It's an honour again to be co-hosting this session with my good friend, Secretary Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services of the United States. I would also like to thank my Canadian colleagues for joining me today at this session. And I think many of the achievements we have accomplished in addressing HIV and AIDS in Canada are doing large part to the remarkable dedication and support of Canadians have demonstrated to this cause over the last two years. Again, I also want to take an opportunity to congratulate the Indigenous Aboriginal Working Group on HIV and AIDS for a historic moment yesterday. It could be for participants, for participants as Aboriginal people in this forum. Because of the significant hardship this epidemic has caused in developing countries in situations in North America, it's not often in the spotlight. So it's good to have a session where we look at how the epidemic is evolving on both sides of the 49th parallel and to assess where we stand. When HIV first emerged in North America 30 years ago, no treatment was available and many people who were infected in the early years of the epidemic died. Since the introduction of the antiviral therapy in the 1990s, HIV has become for many a serious but manageable chronic condition. At the same time, our surveillance data tells us that despite ongoing investments in HIV prevention, new HIV infection continues to occur and rates are not declining and in both Canada and the United States there is still a high rate of new infections within certain groups such as gay men and other men who have sex with men and people who inject drugs. So despite our investments in the general well-being of our populations, preventing HIV transmission remains an urgent public health priority and to make meaningful progress we will have to find ways to refocus our prevention programs to make them more effective especially for those who are most at risk. The political declaration that both Canada and the United States joined last year at the UN High-Level Meeting recognized by consensus that the epidemic affects every country differently and that is certainly true for our two countries. While we have a great deal in common, the composition of our countries is very different and so too is the epidemic. So nonetheless, Canada and the United States have a lot to learn from each other's successes and challenges by comparing our approaches I hope that we can help each other become more effective at preventing new infections and addressing their treatment and their care and the support needs of those living with HIV and AIDS. It also provides us with an opportunity to look at ways that our two countries can continue our long-standing history of collaboration and to address HIV and AIDS in North America. Canada's federal initiative to address HIV and AIDS guides the funding of research projects supporting community groups which help us reach those who are most at risk and monitors HIV and AIDS through a national surveillance system. We have programs designed for key populations such as the streets involved youth, women and gay men. We are working to address the social issues including accessible housing, income security, addictions and mental health that contribute to vulnerability for infectious disease. Canada demonstrates response to the epidemic and our response as a member of the global community are equally important and we have helped to strengthen the healthcare system in developing countries and have played a lead role in mobilizing international action to support maternal, newborn and child's health. We have also started dialogues on emerging issues related to HIV and AIDS. Our annual policy dialogues have brought together international experts from governments, the academia and civil society to discuss a range of areas that impact HIV prevention, treatment care and support. At the latest dialogue in January of this year we partnered with the United States to host a dialogue on HIV, AIDS and mental health. This was a successful event that resulted in yesterday's satellite session addressing the disorder, the missing link to HIV prevention, treatment care and support. Canada will continue supporting cutting edge research including this research for research for an effective vaccine. We are also continuing to partner with civil society and invest considerable resources to building community capacity to respond to HIV and AIDS. So we hope that we can accomplish even more in the next decade than we have in the last three decades so that we can increase the likelihood of having an eighth screen generation in the foreseeable future. An important part of that work starts right here and with a hard look at what is happening in our regions with Canada and the United States and I am pleased to be a part of that this afternoon. Come on, the exemption that allows insight to be open. Why don't you visit? We're here at the convention. Read the evidence. Everyone for you. Please take it. Visit us. Thank you, Professor. Thank you to the members. If I could move on with our program. Now it's my pleasure to introduce U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius in 2011