By Canadian Press

Freeland budgets billions more for testing, treatments and vaccines in fall update

Dec 14, 2021 | 2:27 PM

OTTAWA – The federal government plans to spend another $1.7 billion to nearly triple Canada’s shipments of rapid tests for COVID-19 before the end of March.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s fiscal update today is heavily laden with warnings that the Omicron variant has thrown a disheartening wrench into Canada’s pandemic recovery hopes.

It means the federal government is getting ready to support businesses and workers in the event of new lockdowns and other restrictions and that Ottawa is planning to spend billions more to test, treat and vaccinate Canadians in the coming months.

Canada had earlier budgeted $565 million to buy rapid tests and the federal government reports having received 99 million tests so far, and today’s fiscal update adds $1.7 billion to procure another 171 million rapid tests.

But this plan comes as many provinces, including Ontario, are under pressure to start using the tests they already have.

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Public Services and Procurement Canada says of the 81 million tests delivered to provincial and territorial governments, only 15.5 million have been used.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 14, 2021.

The Canadian Press