The Canadian government spent $120 million chartering cargo flights to ship personal protective equipment (PPE) from China in the first 90 days of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Documents obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter through an Access to Information request show that federal agencies had to charter planes after failing to maintain a national stockpile of masks, gloves, and medical gowns.
A June 10, 2020 staff memo in the Department of Public Works detailed the millions of dollars spent on cargo fees to fly emergency shipments of PPE from suppliers in China. Contracts included $15 million each to Air Canada, WestJet, First Air, and PAL Aerospace, and $60 million to Cargojet of Hamilton, Ont….