The federal Liberals have given companies more than $5.8 billion in COVID-19-related contracts for personal protective gear and medical supplies.
A driver for Safecare B.C. secures a load of personal protective equipment in a truck for Safecare B.C. in Surrey, B.C. Tuesday, April 28, 2020. OTTAWA -- The federal Liberals have given companies more than $5.8 billion in pandemic-related contracts for personal protective gear and medical supplies.
Nowhere is that more apparent than in the data on N95 respirator masks, where all but one of the suppliers have had their identities withheld.The one identified, AMD Medicom Inc., which has a Montreal-area facility, did not have the value of its contract published. Efforts in other areas aren't moving as fast. Only 16 per cent of the nearly 1.16 billion pairs of gloves have arrived, and eight per cent of the three million non-medical face coverings have been received.
"We have pursued an aggressive procurement strategy and are diversifying our supply chains in order to meet immediate demands for PPE as well as to prepare for future needs, including a potential second wave," Procurement Minister Anita Anand said in a statement. Matthews told the government operations committee about how prices for things like face shields should come down as supply strains ease, but others are likely to go up -- notably gloves, where he the price is "quite volatile."
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