The federal government has reached an agreement with American company Abbott to buy 7.9 million rapid-test devices once they are approved by Health Canada.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, is pushing back against calls for Ottawa to quickly approve rapid tests for COVID-19, saying the decision is ultimately up to federal scientists.
Canada's chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says rolling out inaccurate COVID-19 tests can lead to further infections if there is a large number of false negatives.