No one should die from a curable disease — not in 2025, not anywhere. Yet tuberculosis continues to kill more than a million people each year. Those messages echoed through the halls of Parliament Hill as advocates from across Canada came together for #LeadOnTB, urging MPs to step up the fight against tuberculosis.
On September 25, a coalition of 66 tuberculosis (TB) advocates, survivors, students, and health experts gathered on Parliament Hill to advocate for continued investment in the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Wearing pins, sharing stories, and preparing talking points, they came together with a shared goal: urging Canada to strengthen its leadership against the world’s deadliest infectious disease.
Over the course of the day, advocates held 29 meetings with parliamentarians across party lines. Their message was clear: tuberculosis, though preventable and curable, continues to claim more than 1.3 million lives each year. Canada can, and must, do more to change that.
“Attending the Canadian TB Hill Day really drove home what a global effort the fight to end TB is! There is so much energy to fight this disease all over the world. It was inspiring to hear the same messages I heard in Washington DC at the US Hill Day repeated in Ottawa.” — JD, from TBFighters in Boston
Organized by Results Canada, Partners In Health (Canada and US), and partners: Stop TB Canada, TBFighters, TBPeople Canada, CAAN, and Doctors Without Borders, the advocacy day built on growing momentum to make TB a priority in global health policy.
Building Momentum in the Fight Against TB
TB remains the leading infectious disease killer worldwide, outpacing HIV and malaria combined — despite effective treatment being available for decades. Globally, TB programs continue to face chronic underfunding, leaving millions without access to diagnosis, medicines, or adequate care.
Advocates stressed that Canada’s historic role in global health makes its leadership on TB both expected and essential.
“I left TB Hill Day more certain than ever that ending tuberculosis isn’t a question of science—it’s a question of will. And will is something we can build, together.” — Nikita Chowdhury, Senior Manager of Annual Giving and Engagement at Partners In Health Canada
On Parliament Hill, the coalition’s determination was clear. Health professionals wrote out policy asks at the same tables where first-time advocates rehearsed talking points. Survivors shared personal stories, while students pressed MPs with direct questions. A mix of experience and urgency gave weight to every conversation.
Our Asks of Canada
1. Ambitiously support the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
- Canada must ambitiously support the Global Fund.
- The Global Fund, the world’s largest TB financing mechanism, has helped reduce TB deaths by 40% in partner countries since 2002.
- An ambitious Canadian pledge could save 23 million more lives, prevent 400 million infections, and reduce deaths by 64% across HIV, TB, and malaria.
- Every $1 invested in the Global Fund yields $19 in economic returns.
- Budget 2025 presents a strategic opportunity for Canada to reinforce global health leadership and security.
2. Invest in TB research and development
- Canada must invest in TB research and development (R&D).
- This investment will strengthen our reputation for research excellence and attract global talent.
- Partnerships with initiatives like TB REACH, TB Alliance, IAVI, FIND, and UNITAID are key to building and expanding access to innovative diagnostics and treatments.
- These investments will save lives, drive innovation, and strengthen economic resilience.
3. Support community-led initiatives
- Canada must fund the Challenge Facility for Civil Society (CFCS).
- Community-led organizations are essential for reaching and supporting those most impacted by TB.
- This support would protect lives, stabilize health systems, and affirm Canada’s commitment to inclusive global leadership.
4. Fund a National TB Elimination Strategy
- Canada must co-develop and fund a permanent National TB Elimination Strategy with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis partners.
- The strategy must include: enhanced screening, targeted social determinant interventions, essential medicines access, modernized data systems, and accountability mechanisms.
- Without this investment, Canada risks missing its commitment to eliminate TB by 2035.
- This strategy would strengthen health systems and protect the health of all Canadians.
Between meetings, advocates shared reflections, traded notes, and encouraged one another. For many, the environment offered a space to strengthen a growing grassroots movement across the country.
Next Steps
Organizers emphasized that #LeadOnTB is part of a sustained advocacy effort. The coming weeks are critical as Canada prepares for the federal budget in November. Advocates will follow up with MPs, expand public education efforts, and build wider networks of TB supporters.
The team left energized, with new skills and a stronger sense of what collective action can do.
Want to stay involved?
There’s still time to act before the federal budget is finalized. Send a letter to your MP or spread the word in your network.
