Ottawa's first orders for N95 masks weren't finalized until March 18 — days after health officials co-ordinated a national shutdown amid a surge of COVID-19 cases. "Right now, N95 masks are not the top priority. Anyone following the situation on the ground knew that N95 masks were in high demand in March, he said. The factory started pumping out N95 masks in August. Public Services and Procurement Canada has since purchased 111,667,016 N95 respirators, along with millions of other goods necessary to the fight against COVID-19.

Source: CBC News February 12, 2021 09:00 UTC