Prime Minister Stephen Harper told The Canadian Press during a visit to Whitehorse, "Unfortunately, the issue has been so politicized this week that this is probably not the time for us to make additional announcements."
The Prime Minister was criticized by the delegates of the conference for not attending the meeting.
A spokesperson for the Health Minister, Tony Clement said, "[Ottawa] is strongly committed to the fight against HIV/AIDS and continues to commit a significant amount of money to this issue."
Spokesman Erik Waddell said in an e-mail, "Our government is committed to doing more in the future. However, there are no announcements this week while the issue is so politicized."
Liberal leader Bill Graham told the National Post, "I understand that the Prime Minister has now said he is not going to come because the conference has been politicized...It's like blaming the victim but unfortunately the victim in this case is people dying of HIV around the world."
