Canada wrote off $331 million in emergency medical supplies, audit finds
Canada’s Auditor General has found that the country’s emergency medical stockpile was badly managed, after the Public Health Agency of Canada wrote off $331 million in expired or damaged supplies in a single year. Auditor General Karen Hogan tabled the report in the House of Commons on Thursday, 29 October, and the findings were still being discussed in Canadian media on Saturday, 31 October.
The National Emergency Strategic Stockpile is the federal reserve Canada turns to in a pandemic or other major emergency, when provinces and territories need extra help. The audit found the agency had no clear plan for dealing with surplus and expired stock, and had not worked out what it actually needs to hold. As of 31 March 2026, the stockpile still held about 84 million expired items, 97 per cent of them protective equipment such as masks, much of it bought during COVID-19.
The write-off was equal to about a quarter of the stockpile’s value. The audit also found that more than $20 million in medicines had to be thrown away in 2025 after warehouse problems, and that only five of 14 fixes promised after earlier warnings had been put in place by March 2026. On the other side of the ledger, the agency did answer all 81 requests for help it received from provinces, territories and federal bodies over the two years reviewed, including during wildfires.
Why it matters
The stockpile exists for the next crisis, not the last one. If a quarter of it can expire unused in one year while the agency still cannot say what it needs to hold, Canada could find itself short of basic supplies when they are needed most. The audit also found the same pattern elsewhere: problems flagged in earlier audits had still not been fully fixed, raising questions about how ready the country is for a future emergency.
What happens next
The government says it accepts the Auditor General’s recommendations, and the Public Health Agency of Canada will put in place changes on record-keeping, faster corrective action and measuring performance. The Auditor General has already been questioned by MPs on Parliament’s public accounts committee, and further scrutiny of the stockpile is expected in the weeks ahead.
This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.
Sources
- https://thenortherncurrent.com/tnc-evening-marcus-broadcast-2026-10-31 (The Northern Current, 31 October 2026)
- https://apnanews.ca/auditor-general-nine-reports-dental-stockpile-border-october-29/ (Apna News, 30 October 2026, updated 31 October 2026)
- https://awakecanada.org/carneys-government-wrote-off-331-million-in-emergency-medical-supplies-it-still-cant-say-what-canada-actually-needs/ (Awake Canada, 31 October 2026)
- https://theoppositionnewsnetwork.substack.com/p/auditor-general-ottawa-wrote-off (The Opposition News Network, 29 October 2026)
