During the COVID-19 pandemic, Health Canada rapidly adjusted its regulatory procedures to ensure the timely availability of essential medical devices such as face masks, gloves, and testing kits. To address the surge in demand, the standard policy required applicants to pay a fee to Health Canada for reviewing their license applications. However, between April 2020 and December 2021, Health Canada altered its process and conducted reviews before issuing invoices or collecting payments. The intention was to expedite the provision of critical medical devices.