Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Comité permanent des comptes publics

For immediate release

Ottawa, April 6, 2022 -

The federal government’s administration of the National Emergency Strategic Stockpile (NESS) of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical devices were not adequate for the early challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a unanimous report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Accounts (the Committee) presented today by John Williamson, Chair of the Committee.

The Office of the Auditor General of Canada released a performance audit in 2021 that focused on whether the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada, before and during the COVID‑19 pandemic, helped to meet the needs of provincial and territorial governments for selected PPE (N95 masks and medical gowns) and medical devices (testing swabs and ventilators). It also focused on whether Public Services and Procurement Canada provided adequate procurement support to the agency.

The Auditor General's audit found that due to long-standing unaddressed problems with the administration of the NESS, the agency was not suitably prepared to respond to the surge in provincial and territorial needs for PPE and medical devices brought on by the COVID‑19 pandemic. However, the agency did improve how it managed the assessment and allocation of PPE and medical devices to help meet these needs.

Health Canada, for its part, modified its processing of supplier licence applications to better respond to increasing demand and Public Services and Procurement Canada mobilized resources and modified its procurement activities to quickly procure the required equipment on behalf of the agency to respond to the pandemic.

As part of its report on this audit, the Committee has made four recommendations to help the Government of Canada correct its management of the NESS for PPE and medical devices.