Personal Protective Equipment

CAF/COVID-19

Does the Canadian Armed Forces have the PPE necessary to carry out their missions at home and abroad?

The health and safety of Canadian Armed Forces members is our utmost priority.
National Defence has taken measures to ensure its members are prepared before being deployed at home and abroad.
This includes ensuring Canadian Armed Forces members have access to Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, National Defence has worked with Public Health and Public Services and Procurement Canada to maintain and replenish our PPE stockpile.
We continue to procure PPE from all available sources for personnel both at home and on operations abroad.
This will ensure that the Canadian Armed Forces remains ready to respond to the needs of Canadians.

If pressed on recertified vinyl gloves used during Operation LASER:

In May 2020, the Canadian Armed Forces Surgeon General was informed that a number of vinyl gloves had reached their manufacturer’s best before date.
Given the global shortages of PPE, the Surgeon General directed that these gloves be tested to determine whether they could be safely used.
Following rigorous testing, the gloves were determined to be functional and safe to be used within the next 6-12 months.

As of January 15, 2021: Canadian Forces Health Services Group medical grade stockpile held:
- 435,913 gowns;
- 1,940,450 surgical masks;
- 93,223 N95 masks;
- 4,501,160 medical-grade gloves;
- 130,487 face shields;
- 3,390 goggles; and
- 130,600 pairs of shoe covers.
National Defence issued the following quantities of medical grade PPE from Central Medical Equipment Depot (CMED) for Operation LASER (from April – December 2020)
- 180,549 surgical masks;
- 7,515 N95 masks;
- 10,322 face shields;
- 182 goggles;
- 195,550 gowns;
- 23,000 shoe covers; and,
- 2,916,648 gloves.
Of the nearly three million gloves used from April – June 2020, 85,800 gloves had reached their May 2014 manufacturer best before date. Given the global shortages of PPE, the Surgeon General directed that these gloves be tested to determine whether they could be safely used. Following rigorous testing, the gloves were determined to be functional and safe to be used within the next 6-12 months.
From April to June 2020, the Canadian Armed Forces deployed approximately 1,700 personnel under Operation LASER.
This operation helped stabilize the situation in a total of 54 long-term care facilities, including 47 in Quebec and seven in Ontario.

Responsible Principal: Military Personnel Command
January 15, 2021