CAE recalls 1,500 employees, creates 10,000 respirators for COVID-19 patients

MONTREAL -- Airline pilot training company CAE announced on Monday it will be manufacturing 10,000 respirators for COVID-19 patients by early next month.

The company signed a contract with the Canadian government to create the CAE Air1 respirator, recalling 1,500 employees who had temporarily been laid off. It’s currently finalizing designs and testing and will then prepare for production.

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CAE is also using its global supply chain to provide N95 masks to frontline healthcare workers. To date, it has obtained 100,000 N95 masks which will be delivered to Quebec.

Part of the 1,500-employee recall is possible because of Canada’s Emergency Wage Subsidy program, the company says. Many employees will work from home. 

The company announced it would be laying off nearly a quarter of its workforce on April 9, which translated to about 2,600 people. It also announced it had cut wages. 

The company has more than 10,500 employees worldwide.

 This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 20, 2020. 

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  CAE corporate headquarters in Montreal. (Canadian Press file photo)