72-hour emergency kit checklist: what the Government of Canada says to keep at home

The federal Get Prepared campaign, run by Public Safety Canada, is the source of the familiar "72-hour kit". Below is the official checklist, with water worked out in litres for two-person and four-person homes, plus the details people usually miss, such as how long a freezer stays cold and why cash matters. Canada.ca blocks automated access, so we checked its current wording through its indexed pages on 29 October 2026.

What is on the Government of Canada emergency kit list?

The federal checklist covers the basics every household should have. Where the government gives no number, we say so rather than invent one, and we have not added prices because the government does not publish any.

Source: Government of Canada emergency kit checklist, checked 29 October 2026 through its indexed pages.

Additional supplies to consider

The federal guidance also suggests a whistle to attract attention, candles with waterproof matches or a lighter (stored safely), enough prescription medication to last a couple of weeks, and a change of clothing and footwear for each person in your grab-and-go bag. Pets need water too: the government's pet guidance suggests about 4 litres a day for an average dog and 1 litre for an average cat.

Why 72 hours?

The Government of Canada asks households to be ready to look after themselves for at least 72 hours, whether they are told to evacuate or to shelter in place. Three days is the minimum, not the goal: many households choose to keep more, especially in rural areas or regions hit by long winter outages.

How much water do you need?

Water is where the official figures differ. The federal kit checklist says two litres per person per day for drinking, cooking and hygiene. Health Canada advises two litres a day for drinking plus another two litres for cooking and cleaning, and another Canada.ca kit page uses about four litres. We show both; four litres is the safer planning figure.

Our arithmetic for three days. Add water for pets: about 4 litres a day for an average dog and 1 litre for an average cat, according to Government of Canada pet guidance.

How do you plan the food?

The checklist calls for non-perishable food such as canned goods, energy bars and dried foods. The practical way to plan is per meal: three days for a family of four is 36 meals, so count how many cans, pouches and snacks that really takes. Choose food your household already eats, so stock gets used and replaced rather than thrown away. Keep a manual can opener with it, because an electric one is useless in an outage.

What should you do in a power outage?

Public Safety Canada's National Risk Profile lists the 1998 ice storm in Eastern Canada among the country's major disasters, a reminder that outages can last a long time. The Government of Canada's power outage advice covers the main points:

• Keep the fridge and freezer shut. An unopened fridge keeps food cold for about 4 hours. A full freezer keeps food frozen for about 48 hours, a half-full one for about 24 hours.
• Do not leave frozen food outdoors, because sunlight can thaw it even in cold weather.
• Run fuel-burning generators outside only, at least 6 metres (20 feet) from homes and buildings, with the exhaust pointing away from windows and doors. Never use one indoors or in a garage.
• Install certified carbon monoxide alarms with battery backup, and never use a barbecue or camp stove indoors.
• Keep flashlights and batteries where you can find them in the dark.

Why does the government list cash?

Because when the power or the payment network goes down, a card stops working. The federal checklist lists cash in smaller bills and coins: small denominations matter because a shop running without its card terminal may not be able to make change for a $100 bill.

The government does not set an amount. Our guide to how much cash to keep at home works out a realistic figure from Statistics Canada spending data and explains the insurance limits on cash.

Home kit, grab-and-go bag or car kit?

The Government of Canada suggests a separate grab-and-go bag for each member of the household, holding essentials from the basic kit in a form that is easier to carry if you must evacuate. It also publishes a separate emergency car kit list.

The "what matters most" row is our reading of the federal checklists: the items you could not easily replace if you had to leave.

How do you keep the kit and plan up to date?

The government says to replace items that may expire, such as food, water, batteries and medication, at least once a year. Its checklist suggests using the spring and fall time changes to check expiry dates on food, water, medication, insurance, credit cards and identification, and to swap seasonal items. Review your emergency plan with the whole household at least once a year, too, and keep a copy in the kit. The plan should include a meeting place near home and an out-of-town contact everyone can call.

Emergency Preparedness Week runs every year in the first full week of May; in 2026 it was 3 to 9 May. It is a good reminder to check your kit.

Where does gold fit, beyond the first 72 hours?

Briefly: not in your emergency kit. Gold is a poor emergency currency. Shops do not price groceries in ounces, a one-ounce Maple Leaf is worth thousands of dollars and cannot be split to make change, and bullion dealers may be closed or offline in an emergency. The government lists cash for a reason.

There is an insurance catch, too. Home insurance usually has a low special limit for money and bullion. RBC Insurance, for example, lists a $500 limit for "money, including cash cards or bullion". Check your own policy before keeping gold or cash at home.

Where some people do use gold is as a long-term store of value outside the banking system, a separate decision from three days of supplies. Physical gold is not a promise from a bank, but it is not covered by CDIC either, its price can fall, and it pays no interest. Read whether gold is a safe haven for how it behaved in past crises, and our gold storage guide for where to keep it. For the wider plan, see our prepping guide for Canada and what happens if a Canadian bank fails. For buying gold, start at our Canada gold hub.

Not financial advice. GoldVetted provides general information to help you compare options. It is not personal financial, tax or legal advice. Gold prices go down as well as up, and you may get back less than you pay. Check tax rules with the official source or a qualified adviser before you act.