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PHAC Says Freezer Failure Wiped Out Over $20 Million in Stockpile Drugs

A Conservative call for a Commons probe seeks answers on how the loss occurred.

Overview

  • The loss was disclosed in the federal government’s 2025 public accounts covering the 2024–25 fiscal year.
  • PHAC says a single December 2024 incident involving temperature fluctuations in freezer units led to the loss of one volume of a therapeutic drug.
  • Health Canada also recorded a separate loss of roughly $1.2 million due to damaged lab equipment.
  • Officials say they cannot reveal specific products or quantities for national security reasons and assert the stockpile’s response capacity remains intact, with quality controls and corrective actions in place.
  • Conservative health critic Dan Mazier is urging a House of Commons investigation, and the health minister’s office says it is working with PHAC to prevent a recurrence.