Two years into the pandemic, what's the status of Canada's emergency stockpile of PPE?
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, much attention was put on Canada’s insufficient emergency stockpile of pandemic necessities such as personal protective gear, following years of mismanagement.
Canada established a National Emergency Strategic Stockpile (NESS) in the 1950s to have equipment on hand to protect Canadians from the threats of the Cold War.
In the decades since, the focus has been on ensuring there is an arsenal of supplies that may be needed in emergency situations and contains “items that are rare and difficult to obtain in a timely manner.”
However, after disposing of numerous supplies that had expired and failing to keep track of what it had in storage, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)—which manages the stockpile—struggled to meet the surging demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) at the outset of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
In response, the federal government promised to revisit its supply management and said it would effort to use up items before they expire. PHAC also agreed to make a series of changes “within one year of the end of the pandemic.”
So, with the need for emergency access to these essential supplies ongoing, has the government been squirreling away PPE for the stockpile, or is it just continuing to roll out its bulk medical supply and equipment shipments to the provinces and territories as they arrive?
According to PHAC, it’s doing both right now: sending out supplies on a per capita basis, while setting aside the surplus to be accessed in case of a compounding emergency.
WHAT IS IN THE STOCKPILE?
In addition to other essential supplies ranging from cots to antidotes for biological weapons, according to PHAC as of Jan. 19 the stockpile includes approximately:
- 800 million pairs of nitrile gloves
- 280 million surgical masks
- 112 million disposable gowns
- 40 million N95 respirators
- 13 million face shields
This snapshot of what’s in storage is subject to change, PHAC cautioned, because the federal government continues to distribute PPE to the provinces and territories as well as receive new deliveries. What is in storage is also a fraction of the more than 2.7 billion pieces of PPE the government has procured over the course of the pandemic.
This flow of supplies is mindful of the need for an “enhanced pandemic supply for additional surge support,” the agency said, adding that it’s “monitoring supply chains closely to inform the NESS procurement posture.”
In the last two years the government also expanded its warehouse capacity to store the surge in bulk orders of supplies it’s been receiving, though PHAC said the extra storage space is temporary.
In addition to other essential supplies, as of Jan. 19, 2022 this is what Canada's National Emergency Strategic Stockpile includes in terms of PPE. (CTV News infographic, data via PHAC)
HOW MUCH IS DOMESTICALLY PRODUCED?
As part of Canada’s early pandemic scramble for supplies, the federal government made a callout asking Canadian businesses and manufacturers to pivot their manufacturing capabilities to produce personal protective equipment to boost the health sector’s stockpile of life-saving supplies.
This retooling became a permanent business line for some, though questions have been raised about how much of Canada’s ongoing PPE procurement is coming from Canadian companies.
While the agency didn’t provide a specific percentage of the PPE being ordered that is coming from Canadian manufacturers, according to PHAC it’s receiving shipments of made-in-Canada PPE “on a daily basis,” including gowns, surgical masks, N95s and face shields.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Manitoba mom praises quick-thinking fire department for freeing daughter stuck in playground equipment
A Manitoba mother is praising firefighters for their quick work in helping her daughter who got stuck at a playground in Lorette, Man.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Local Spotlight
UBC football star turning heads in lead up to NFL draft
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Cat found at Pearson airport 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly on a mission: N.S. student collecting books about women in sport for school library
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Marmot in the city: New resident of North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale a 'rock star rodent'
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
Relocated seal returns to Greater Victoria after 'astonishing' 204-kilometre trek
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Ottawa barber shop steps away from Parliament Hill marks 100 years in business
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
'It was a special game': Edmonton pinball player celebrates high score and shout out from game designer
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
'How much time do we have?': 'Contamination' in Prairie groundwater identified
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.