Auditor general grading Ottawa’s performance on PPE, pandemic response in Indigenous communities – CBC

Reports being released today will focus on two aspects of Canada’s COVID-19 response

May 26, 2021

Canada’s auditor general is releasing audits today of the federal government’s performance in securing personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical devices before and during the pandemic, and of its response to COVID-19 in Indigenous communities.

Auditor General Karen Hogan will table the reports this afternoon, then take questions from reporters at 3 p.m. ET.

The reports will focus on how well the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada did in meeting the needs of provincial and territorial governments for N95 masks, medical gowns, testing swabs and ventilators, and on whether Indigenous Services Canada supplied enough assistance to First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities.

“They’ve done a decent job in terms of providing supports for our member nations as well as ensuring that there are adequate supplies of PPE, and also making us a priority when it comes to the vaccines,” said Vice-Chief David Pratt of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, which represents 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/auditor-general-2021-ppe-indigenous-covid-audits-1.6040213