Sources from inside the Public Health Agency of Canada say analysts were stripped of their ability to independently issue alerts in late 2018
Canada’s Auditor-General is planning to investigate what went wrong with the country’s once-vaunted early warning system for pandemics after the unit curtailed its surveillance work and ceased issuing alerts more than a year ago, raising questions about whether it failed when it was needed most.
Several past and present employees told The Globe that the government had grown wary of GPHIN’s mandate in recent years, believing it was too internationally focused, given that pandemic events were rare. Analysts were given domestic projects to focus on that didn’t involve global surveillance, and the operation’s early-warning capacity soon suffered.
“It’s still early in the process,” said Vincent Frigon, spokesman for the Office of the Auditor-General. “We don’t comment on ongoing audits, however when we do have a better idea of what’s the scope of the audit we should be able to release the information. … We should have a more specific timeline later this year.”
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Dr. Tam says Ottawa, experts discussing COVID-19 vaccine orders amid concerns of delayDr. Theresa Tam said an independent vaccine task force is advising the government on options for Canada’s choice of vaccine, including exploring the possibility of manufacturing a potential pandemic cure at home
Read more »
WHO head says Canada has 'done well' at bringing COVID-19 under control'The bottom line is that one of the most fundamental ingredients for stopping this virus is determination and the willingness to make hard choices to keep ourselves and each other safe.”
Read more »
Bank of Canada faces shortage of $50 bills due to pandemic hoardingThe Bank of Canada is facing a shortage of $50 bills due to the COVID-19 pandemic and signs point to Canadians hoarding cash as a primary reason.
Read more »
Who heads back to class in September? A look at school reopenings by provinceAs Canada deals with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, students and teachers are preparing to face a very different school year come September.
Read more »
Shopify revenues nearly double in Q2 amid COVID-19 shift to e-commerceCOVID-19 is proving to be no match for Shopify Inc., which nearly doubled revenues and reported US$36 million in profits as the pandemic raged across Canada.
Read more »
'Painful' process: RioCan CEO critical of Ottawa's rent assistance program as retail landlord suffers $350M lossApproximately two\u002Dthirds of RioCan\u0027s tenants shut down their stores when the pandemic first hit
Read more »