Canada seeks exemption from U.S. ban on supplies

OTTAWA • The federal government is pushing to ensure Canada is exempt from a U.S. export ban on medical supplies as stockpiles of essential personal protective equipment run low for nurses and doctors battling the COVID-19 outbreak. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Monday a shipment of 500,000 masks headed for Ontario was held up at the U.S. border on the weekend. The province has four million masks on order from the U.S. company 3M.

Without the shipment, the province will run out of masks by the end of the week, he said.

“We are doing everything in our power. We are exhausting every avenue available to us,” Ford said. “The hard truth is our supplies in Ontario are getting very low.”

Some hospital workers in Ontario have been asked to ration their protective gear.

Ford said after initially being stopped, the masks were cleared for transport but he was reluctant to count them before they arrived in Ontario warehouses.

He said the global demand for protective gear has risen considerably in recent weeks and the provincial and federal governments were working to secure stockpiles.

Both Ontario and the federal government have signed agreements with Canadian companies to create a local supply, but those plants are still retooling and are weeks away from producing the quantities needed.

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to compel 3M to stop exporting N95 masks to Canada and Latin America, but the company has resisted, saying increased trade restrictions would actually lead to fewer masks being available in America.

3M announced Monday night it will import 166.5 million respirators over the next three months primarily from its manufacturing facility in China, starting in April. The plan will also enable 3M to continue sending U.S. produced masks to Canada and Latin America, where 3M is the primary source of supply.

At his daily press briefing, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was aware of the issue and was working swiftly to resolve it.

“We continue to have productive and positive conversations with the United States emphasizing for them that health-care supplies and workers across the borders are very much a two-way street,” he said. “Those conversations are continuing and we expect those supplies to be delivered.”

He said Canada is reaching out around the world to secure more equipment, but the market has become extremely competitive.

“We have recognized over the past weeks a number of situations in which shipments coming from different countries around the world have been delayed, haven’t arrived with as many products as we were hoping to see,” he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, whom Ford described as a firecracker on the issue, said she has been in constant contact with American officials and was doing everything possible to ensure the supplies were delivered.

“We have been working throughout the weekend very, very hard with our American neighbours to ensure medical supplies can continue to flow across the Canada, U.S. border,” she said. “I pledged to the premier that the federal government would do everything we can to get those masks into Canada, and we will.”

Freeland said the supply chains are integrated across Canada and the U.S. and it is in no one’s interest to disrupt that.

“Both countries benefit from this and both countries would lose out if hurdles were put in place.”

Canada has nearly 16,000 cases of COVID-19 and almost 300 Canadians have died from the disease.

Monday also marked the launch of the Liberals’ Canada Emergency Response Benefit, which pays Canadians $2,000 a month if they have lost their income due to the virus. As of 4 p.m. Monday, more than 642,000 people had applied online for the benefit.

The benefit does not help people who might be facing greatly reduced work hours or students who are likely to be out summer jobs because of the massive shutdown.

It also doesn’t help many workers who make less than $2,000 a month in such jobs as grocery store cashiers or long-term care home support workers. Trudeau said he was aware of the gaps and the government would have announcements in coming days.

“For people in all of these situations, we see you. We’re going to be there for you and we’re working as hard as we can to get you the support you need.”

Trudeau said people who applied for the benefit online should receive direct deposits within three to five days and cheques in the mail in 10 days.

Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos commended the public servants who put together the program that would have normally taken months or years to organize.