[1] The NESS is:[1] a federally owned stockpile of... medical supplies and equipment managed by the Public Health Agency of Canada.
The National Emergency Stockpile System inventory is stored in 10 federal warehouses and approximately 1,300 additional pre-positioned supply centres across Canada.
These pre-positioned sites, which operate under the combined management of the provincial/territorial and federal governments, are intended to respond within 24 hours to a provincial/territorial request... [D]uring the H1N1 pandemic [t]he provinces and territories accessed the System for the following items: • 135 adult ventilators
The Federal Budget 2006 allocated $600 million for general pandemic planning and preparedness activities, such as the NESS.
[2] Sally Thornton, who was at the time Vice-President, Health Security Infrastructure Branch at the PHAC was quoted in May 2020 to say: "The role has changed to focus more on chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.