An Access to Information request has turned up another Canadian government contract, of almost a quarter of a Billion dollars, for Covid-19 ventilators which ended up being scrapped – in this case because they failed safety tests.
Taxpayers charged premium for Québec-made COVID ventilators now junked as scrap metal | Western Standard | Western Standard News Service:
August 11, 2024 - "Taxpayers were billed top dollar for Québec-made COVID-19 ventilators that were later discarded as scrap metal, according to Access to Information records. Blacklock's Reporter says a contract worth $231.7 million to purchase ventilators at $28,250 each was signed after then-Industry Minister Navdeep Bains had a private discussion with the company’s CEO....
"CAE Incorporated of Montréal, formerly Canadian Aviation Electronics, received $231,650,000 for 8,200 ventilators, equating to $28,250 per unit. This was the highest price the Public Health Agency paid for any Canadian ventilator during the pandemic. 'When it comes to CAE, it’s a great Canadian success story,' Bains testified during 2020 hearings of the Commons industry committee....
"Despite never having manufactured ventilators, CAE received its contract on April 9, just days before Bains’ testimony. The devices later failed Department of Health safety tests....
"CAE rehired approximately 1,500 employees who had been laid off at the start of the pandemic and received a cash advance to manufacture the ventilators. The terms of the advance payment were not disclosed, though other firms received advances between $20 million and $40 million.
"Records indicate the Department of Health paid CAE a premium of 25 to 49% more than it paid other suppliers. The $28,250 per CAE device compared to $23,730 per ventilator from Baylis Medical of Montréal, $22,600 per ventilator from StarFish Medical of Toronto, and $18,993 per ventilator from Thornhill Medical of North York, Ont. 'We went from a letter of intent to a purchase order, and now they will be delivering the ventilators in a matter of weeks,' Bains said at the time. 'This is really promising news for us because we are in a position to help not only Canadians but possibly other jurisdictions and other countries as well.'
"None of the CAE devices were known to be used in any medical setting. Documents reveal that of the 8,200 CAE ventilators delivered at taxpayers’ expense, 8,180 — or 99% — were “slated for sale as scrap metal.” Records did not disclose what the Public Health Agency did with the remaining 20 devices.
"Government caucus members defended the CAE contract at the time.... 'Canadians needed to feel that ventilators would be accessible if ever the second wave were to come and they finally would need a hospital and extra help because of the virus,' said Liberal MP Emmanuella Lambropoulos (Saint-Laurent, Que.) during a 2020 hearing of the Commons ethics committee. CAE’s plant is located in Lambropoulos’ riding....
"Records show the Covid ventilators were immediately warehoused and then auctioned off as scrap metal as early as 2021.Lambropoulos did not respond to questions from Blacklock’s Reporter. Bains resigned from the cabinet on January 12, 2021, and left Parliament eight months later. He is currently an executive with Rogers Communications in Toronto."
Not just in Canada: NYC sells $12M of emergency ventilators as scrap metal | FOX 5 New York | February 21, 2023:
I remember this when it was first announced. The person who approached the government for the contract was a former liberal MP. Who didn't get reelected. The rules are once you are out of government you have to wait 5 years before you can lobby for any work or contract with the government. This is another example how Trudeau's liberals respect the rules that are in place. There is no accountability with Liberals. They believe rules are for others to keep them honest. But Iiberals are not be questioned on their ethics.
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