Trade goes both ways: PM says White House blocking surgical mask shipments would be ‘a mistake’

OTTAWA – U.S.-based manufacturer 3M has said ceasing exports of surgical masks to Canada would have “significant humanitarian implications,” and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday, “trade isn’t a one way street.”

The Trump administration asked the company to stop sending medical-grade face masks to Canada and Latin America this week, something the Minnesota-based supplier said would likely prompt retaliatory measures.

“3M has indicated that it understands how important it is to continue with delivering on orders to places like Canada, because there is much trade that goes back and forth in essential services, and it could end up hurting Americans as much as it hurts anybody else,” Trudeau said.

“That is the point that we are making very directly, and have been making for many days now to various levels of the American administration, and that message is getting through.”

He noted he would focus on informing the Trump administration about how many essential supplies go across the border – in both directions – on a daily basis. Health care professionals also cross into the U.S., the prime minister said.

“It would be a mistake to create blockages or reduce the amount of back-and-forth trade of essential goods and services, including medical goods, across our border,” Trudeau added.

The prime minister would not directly address whether a cease in shipments from 3M would create a significant gap in this critical type of medical supply. He said Canada continues “to be confident that we’re going to receive the necessary equipment.”

“We understand that there are pressures across our healthcare systems in various regions on the dwindling supplies,” he said. “That’s why we are working so hard to ensure that we get the right supplies to them in the right amount of time.”

The federal government announced Friday it had made an agreement with Amazon to use its distribution network to get critical supplies to provinces in need. It has already signed contracts with a number of Canadian companies which do not normally produce things like masks and hand sanitizer to start making those items domestically.

Trudeau also announced the government would be sending $100-million to organizations that provide food to the most vulnerable as well as Indigenous communities.

-With files from The Canadian Press

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