U.S.-based company 3M said Friday that it has been asked by the Trump administration not to supply N95 respirators to Canada amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the Minnesota-based company to produce and sell as many medical-grade masks as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says it needs. He invoked the Defence Production Act in order to speed up the distribution of masks.
“The administration also requested that 3M cease exporting respirators that we currently manufacture in the United States to the Canadian and Latin American markets,” a statement from the company read.
The company said the move raised “humanitarian” concerns.
“There are, however, significant humanitarian implications of ceasing respirator supplies to health-care workers in Canada and Latin America, where we are a critical supplier of respirators,” the statement added.
Latest Trump assassination attempt exposes ‘educated assassins’ moral crisis, university president says
ATF to Bring Back Sanity and Reject ‘Gender Identity’ on Gun Background Checks
Christian School Wins Enormous Settlement After Its Team Refuses to Face Team With ‘Trans’ Player
Patel says FBI has cut bureaucracy, moved 1,000 agents to field offices in ‘generational’ overhaul
Dem Senate candidate Sherrod Brown claims he supports ‘closing the border’; GOP says record proves otherwise
Dem Deletes X Posts After Trashing State She Is Seeking to Represent
Steak n’ Shake Worker Murdered Over Argument About Onion Rings
Obama-era ‘clean energy’ solar power plant still uses fossil fuels – and kills thousands of birds annually
School Officer Stops Armed Teenager Before He Enters Building
2 US service members missing in Morocco after multinational military exercise, search underway
Colorado Dems Pass Law Banning Pet Stores from Selling Dogs and Cats
Rubio to visit Italy, Vatican amid troop drawdown call, tension with Trump, Pope Leo: reports
Somali Fraud Is Only a Drop in the Bucket Compared to This Indian Fraud Scheme
Cole Allen’s cross-country train musings show ‘scattered’ mindset of accused would-be Trump killer: expert
Midterm countdown: Democrats lead early, but GOP sees a path through the map
The statement also warned that limiting supply to other countries could lead to them “retaliating” with similar measures.
“If that were to occur, the net number of respirators being made available to the United States would actually decrease. That is the opposite of what we and the administration, on behalf of the American people, both seek,” the company said.
On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to the news, saying the government is in close contact with U.S. officials on the issue.
“We are discussing very closely with the United States the importance of keeping the flow of essential goods and services across our border to help both countries,” Trudeau said. “I am confident that the close and deep relationship between Canada and the U.S. will hold strong and we will not have to see interruptions in supply chain in either directions.”
Latest Trump assassination attempt exposes ‘educated assassins’ moral crisis, university president says
ATF to Bring Back Sanity and Reject ‘Gender Identity’ on Gun Background Checks
Christian School Wins Enormous Settlement After Its Team Refuses to Face Team With ‘Trans’ Player
Patel says FBI has cut bureaucracy, moved 1,000 agents to field offices in ‘generational’ overhaul
Dem Senate candidate Sherrod Brown claims he supports ‘closing the border’; GOP says record proves otherwise
Dem Deletes X Posts After Trashing State She Is Seeking to Represent
Steak n’ Shake Worker Murdered Over Argument About Onion Rings
Obama-era ‘clean energy’ solar power plant still uses fossil fuels – and kills thousands of birds annually
School Officer Stops Armed Teenager Before He Enters Building
2 US service members missing in Morocco after multinational military exercise, search underway
Colorado Dems Pass Law Banning Pet Stores from Selling Dogs and Cats
Rubio to visit Italy, Vatican amid troop drawdown call, tension with Trump, Pope Leo: reports
Somali Fraud Is Only a Drop in the Bucket Compared to This Indian Fraud Scheme
Cole Allen’s cross-country train musings show ‘scattered’ mindset of accused would-be Trump killer: expert
Midterm countdown: Democrats lead early, but GOP sees a path through the map
Trudeau said he hopes to avoid a scenario where Canada is forced to retaliate against U.S. measures.
“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,” he added.
Demand for personal protective equipment — gloves, gowns, face shields and the all-important N95 masks — has been soaring around the world as overtaxed doctors, nurses and hospitals struggle to manage the spike in coronavirus cases while protecting themselves from infection.
On Thursday, 3M was singled out for criticism by Trump.
“We hit 3M hard today after seeing what they were doing with their Masks,” Trump tweeted. “‘P Act’ all the way. Big surprise to many in government as to what they were doing – will have a big price to pay!”
We hit 3M hard today after seeing what they were doing with their Masks. “P Act” all the way. Big surprise to many in government as to what they were doing – will have a big price to pay!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 3, 2020
3M CEO Mike Roman said earlier this week that the company is working closely with FEMA and is on track to double global production of N95 masks to two billion a year in 12 months.
