Health Canada won’t explain $20M in pharmaceuticals lost from national stockpile

OTTAWA — The Public Health Agency of Canada lost more than $20 million worth of pharmaceutical products from the national stockpile this year because of what it calls a “temperature deviation.”

The figure was reported in the 2025 public accounts but Health Canada refuses to say what was lost, citing national security implications.

In a statement, Health Canada says the line item refers to pharmaceutical products such as vaccines held in the national emergency stockpile.

It did not say how the temperature deviation happened or whether it was the result of a single incident.

The statement says the losses will not compromise the stockpile’s capacity to respond to public health events.

The national stockpile includes medical supplies, vaccines and supplies that may be needed to respond to natural disasters, diseases like COVID-19 and chemical threats.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2025.