weather c
Vancouver
airing now
91.5FM
|
91.5HD2
airing now
8.85 c
Edmonton
airing now
|
91.5 FM
91.5 HD2

Trudeau says Canada will not pay full price for 8 million sub-standard masks

BY , May 9, 2020 6:36 PM - REPORT AN ERROR

File photo: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressing the media outside Rideau Cottage in Ottawa/ The Canadian Press

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will not pay the full price for medical masks that do not live up to medical standards.

About eight million of 11 million N95 respirators shipped to the government from China through a Montreal-based supplier failed to meet specifications, federal officials said Friday.

Trudeau says the discovery speaks to the government's “rigorous verification system” overseen by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

The prime minister did not name the price the government will pay for the sub-standard respirators, which are used to protect against the COVID-19 virus.

Trudeau says some of those leftover N95 masks - so-named because they are supposed to screen out 95 per cent of small particles - may be distributed for non-medical use.

Canada continues to experience a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) amid a global surge in demand triggered by the pandemic while Canadian manufacturers scramble to pivot to PPE production.

Latest News

Share on

Sign up for the newsletter

We'll deliver best of entertainment right into your inbox
We love to hear from our listeners, so feel free to send us message
whatsUp icon
Message us on whatsapp