How a Global News investigation into federal pandemic contracts unfolded

Global News ran standard checks on all 17 suppliers that won contracts for rapid tests. BTNX stood out, so Global News traced the company’s supply chains around the world.

Global News’ investigation into federal pandemic contracts began with a call in summer 2022 to a reporter from an executive working in the rapid test sector. Officials’ choices of suppliers seemed inexplicable, he said. Why didn’t they hire more Canadian manufacturers?

Few people outside the industry knew that almost all of the $5 billion the Canadian federal government spent on rapid tests between 2020 and 2022 went to importers and to foreign pharmaceutical giants.

Rapid tests were in drastic short supply after pandemic lockdowns began. As Canadians in lockdown waited for Health Canada to procure reliable rapid tests and other medical supplies, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised in March and April 2020 to pump billions into local companies, which ideally would address the public health and national security risks of depending on other countries for vital PPE. It was also meant to address a weak supply chain, onshoring manufacturing to ensure effective access to test kits.

That was the plan. But it’s not how events played out.

To understand why and how the federal government selected its suppliers during that time, Global News ran standard checks on all 17 suppliers that won contracts for rapid tests, examining credit records, licences to sell medical devices and corporate registry documents.

BTNX stood out. It had received contracts for 404 million tests — half of the government’s total orders — after a media campaign that left some doctors, public officials, journalists and members of the public confused about where BTNX’s products were made. It had even sparked debate in the House of Commons.

Global News delved in further, tracing the company’s supply chains around the world.

These searches showed that BTNX bought some of its rapid tests from Assure Tech, a manufacturer based in Hangzhou, China, that itself sold rapid tests. Global News found clinical studies for both companies’ tests for COVID-19 on websites that sold PPE during the pandemic.