As a result, the federal government did not dispense the noncomplying masks to equipment-hungry provinces and territories, Eric Morrissette a spokesperson for the Public Health Agency of Canada, was quoted as saying by  POLITICO.

The failure of these respirators to meet Canadian requirements is yet another challenge for the country as it fights to secure PPE and medical supplies amid what has become a ferocious global competition, reported  POLITICO.

The K95 is a Chinese model which is much similar to the  N95.

It is a crucial personal protective equipment used by nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers combating COVID-19 outbreak.

China has become the source of around 70 percent of Canada's imports of PPE, with much of the rest coming from the U.S., the United Kingdom and Switzerland, a senior Canadian source told POLITICO this week.

"To date, PHAC has identified approximately 1 million KN95 masks as non-compliant with specifications for health-care settings," Morrissette said in a statement as reported by POLITICO.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said two airplanes sent to China to pick up shipments of badly needed medical products were forced to return to Canada on Monday empty.

Trudeau cited transportation delays on the ground and strict rules that limited how long planes were permitted to wait at Shanghai's airport, a statement by the Chinese government has disputed, reported POLITICO.

Earlier several European nations had rejected Chinese-made equipment that were designed to combat the coronavirus outbreak.

Thousands of testing kits and medical masks are below standard or defective, according to authorities in Spain, Turkey and the Netherlands, reported BBC.

The virus was first detected in China at the end of 2019 and now it has hit different corners of the world.