Optics seem to show Canada playing favourites when it comes to gratitude over COVID-19 pandemic equipment donations..Joyce Murray, minister of Digital Services, complained privately Canada was “too reliant on contractors in China for urgently needed pandemic supplies,” according to internal e-mails uncovered by Blacklock’s Reporter..Murray raised the question of why Canada wasn’t awarding contracts to suppliers in Taiwan, one of the world’s largest and most competent manufacturers of PPE. An e-mail on April 26, 2020 from the Prime Minister’s Office said “Minister Murray is concerned we’re not looking at options for personal protective equipment out of Taiwan.”.The e-mail also cited Murray’s concerns coming partially from her “hearing from her constituents.”.Matt Stickney, executive director of operations, said federal agencies should be “looking at a diverse supplier pool including Taiwan.”.Stickney also said he thinks Murray “may want some of her constituents to have an outlet to share their concerns about how we need to diversify our strategy to include Taiwan (which I imagine we are).”.According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Taipei, Taiwanese factories have the capacity to produce 15 million pandemic masks per day. In the first three months of the pandemic in 2020, Taiwan donated 1.5 million surgical masks to the Canadian Red Cross. Taiwan also donated 100,000 high-grade N95 masks and 100,000 medical gowns..Since the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Public Works has relied heavily on suppliers in the People’s Republic of China. Deputy Minister Bill Matthews testified on May 15 2020 at the Commons government operations committee saying “most of the supplies in the world that we are seeking are manufactured in China.”.In order to manage Chinese supplies and “help navigate and expedite the rapidly changing environment in China when it comes to the supply of personal protective equipment,” it was revealed in an internal memo that the department awarded an $8.6 million contract to Deloitte Inc..It was never explained by managers why PPE was not bought from Taiwan. A Department of Foreign Affairs memo revealed “90%of our supply comes from China, so that’s a supply risk.”.These contracts include the purchase of 11 million masks from a Chinese supplier in which 8.5 million masks failed inspection. When asked, the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa said it was a “contractual matter.”.Cabinet expressed thanks to Chinese People’s Republic state agencies for the donation of pandemic supplies, but expressed no gratitude towards Taiwanese donors. On March 28 2020, then-Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne tweeted a thank you to the Bank of China in Beijing for the donation of 30,000 masks. The Chinese Embassy replied saying “we are together!”.Conservative MP Ed Fast asked in the Commons why Taiwan was not thanked for their donation in the same way China was..“Indeed we are very grateful to every nation for helping Canada,” Champagne replied..“It is important at a time of pandemic that we don’t play politics.”.Jackie Conroy is a reporter for the Western Standard.jconroy@westernstandardonline.com
