Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu said today Ottawa "likely did not have enough" personal protective gear in the national stockpile heading into the COVID-19 pandemic. I think federal governments for decades have been under-funding things like public health preparedness," she said during a news conference in Ottawa Wednesday. "It is an extremely competitive space right now for personal protective equipment. A 2011 audit of the National Emergency Stockpile System found that some of what was in the stockpile was out of date. Hajdu said all governments might want to consider reinvesting in public health and preparedness on the other end of this pandemic.

Source: CBC News April 01, 2020 17:47 UTC