Canadian province of Ontario angry over 'unacceptable' U.S. move to block face masks

By David Ljunggren

 

A man wears a mask while walking along Don Mills Road as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases continue to grow in Toronto, Ontario, Canada April 6, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio

 

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Ontario, the most-populous province in Canada, complained on Monday the United States had blocked the export of more than 3 million face masks it bought to fight the coronavirus outbreak, while Ottawa said it was pressuring Washington to release the gear.

 

The province bought two orders of almost 4 million medical masks from manufacturer 3M Co's plant in South Dakota, and one batch of nearly 3 million was halted, Premier Doug Ford told reporters. Speaking to Global News, he called the incident "absolutely unacceptable."

 

Ford, a populist conservative, said that after the Ontario and Canadian governments complained, he had been assured 500,000 of the masks would soon be released.

 

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an order last week to stop personal protective equipment from being exported, and Ford said it was "absolutely critical" that Canada be exempted.

 

Ford said he would be calling U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to press home the point.

 

Ontario, which has the second-highest number of coronavirus cases among the 10 provinces, would run out of personal protective equipment in a week, Ford added. About 14 million people live in Ontario, representing over a third of Canada's population.

 

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke to Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne on Monday and "reiterated the U.S. desire" to work with Canada to ensure the viability of international supply chains for medical supplies and personnel, a Pompeo spokeswoman said.

 

Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters that "we are working intensely with the United States to ensure that all the masks that have been bought can be exported to Canada."

 

Allies of the United States have complained about what they call its "Wild West" tactics in outbidding or blocking shipments to buyers who have already signed deals for medical equipment.

 

Canada's death toll from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, had climbed to 340 by 5 p.m. (2100 GMT) on Monday, from 258 on Sunday, according to a tally of provincial announcements compiled by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. The number of cases rose to 16,568 from 14,426.

 

In a sign of the economic challenge, officials said a total of 3.18 million people in Canada had filed unemployment claims since March 16, including for an emergency benefit that launched on Monday.

 

Industry groups and tenants said landlords should brace for rent strikes in May unless the government steps in with rental subsidies for occupants as the outbreak decimates wages.

 

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Additional reporting by Amran Abocar, Moira Warburton and Denise Paglinawan in Toronto and Kelsey Johnson in Ottawa; Editing by Paul Simao and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-04-07

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Not content with making an absolute balls up of the health situation in his own country, this president is going out of the way to make sure his closest ally and neighbour suffers with him. 

Stuff Canada. Make their own

 

I assume people have not fully followed this.  3M is in big sh!t in the US.  The government had to use the Defence procurement act because instead of 3M supplying states like Florida with the masks at a reasonable price they were getting them shipped in from China where they are made and selling them to the highest bidder.

 

Once the media got wind of this the Government had to do something so they have cancelled 3M's ability to sell to anyone other than Americans until there is enough in stock for the people and most importantly for the hospitals.

 

Imagine a doctor trying to look after a patient without protective gear.  I think it is called suicide.

 

The other problem is that the Canadian government and Ford in Ontario (talk about a leader that is hated) did nothing to prepare. 

 

This is a case of when the oxygen mask falls please put yours on before you try to help anyone else.

 

Again what is the cause of this problem  The desire of companies t make large profits by shipping out the production of an item to one country without any planning.

There is a massive 3m plant in London, Ontario. Ford should talk to them.

13 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

You mean unlike Germany who allowed it's car manufacturers to lie, lie and lie about emissions for years?

 

Or China who not only turns a blind eye to IP laws but encourages infringements?

 

Or France, with it's hypocrisy on imports whenever it wants to implement protectionism?

 

etc, etc, etc, etc.

 

Wake up to the real world.

What makes you think that the German government knew about the emission lie of car manufacturers? 

5 minutes ago, pacovl46 said:

What makes you think that the German government knew about the emission lie of car manufacturers? 

it would have very quickly made itself into the volklore legend bedtime reading books...

44 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

You mean unlike Germany who allowed it's car manufacturers to lie, lie and lie about emissions for years?

 

Or China who not only turns a blind eye to IP laws but encourages infringements?

 

Or France, with it's hypocrisy on imports whenever it wants to implement protectionism?

 

etc, etc, etc, etc.

 

Wake up to the real world.

Yep Baerb it's true the world is run on moral expediency, not care or honest moral imperatives.

3M are a bunch of the greatest example of the free enterprise system thugs i.e. Why not make profit where profit is available to be made, what's unreasonable corrupt, immoral, wrong in any way with seeking such profit making.

This has no connection with or need to be considered connected to altruism, caring, compassion for others.

It's the beast of capitalism that needs to be fed at all cost, the imperative is profit not pour fellow humans. Sadly I'm am part of this club (simply by birthright) despite wanting to see myself as not being so.

 

The laws of the United States permits such acts under certain circumstances. It was naive of everyone who ordered stuff from a US company to expect contracts to be fulfilled once the law had been implemented.

The US, as any other country, wants be seen to be doing as much as it can for its own citizenry, even at the expense of normal business transactions, contracts etc. Would other countries not do the same, given the similar circumstances? 

Regrettably, this is the situation we find ourselves in at the moment. Perhaps later, there will be a reckoning.

 

https://dailycaller.com/2020/03/26/trudeau-coronavirus-china-canada-medical-supplies-low/

 

71 Tonnes of Facemasks and other personal protection sent to China by Trudeau.  Seems a bit of misplaced anger by our Canadian friends, who should be thoroughly peeved at their own idiot prime minister for sending all their supplies to the laughing Chinese. 

 

Quote

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau authorized the transfer of approximately 17 tons of protective supplies to China — when that country was in the midst of its coronavirus outbreak in February.

Now, with the COVID-19 virus afflicting Canada, doctors and hospitals are reporting a shortage of equipment, with some facilities limiting physicians to one face mask a day.

 

The raw material, wood pulp, for 3M in the states comes from British Columbia, Canada. Maybe Canada should say to tRump, "Get your own!"

5 hours ago, Chrysaora said:

https://dailycaller.com/2020/03/26/trudeau-coronavirus-china-canada-medical-supplies-low/

 

71 Tonnes of Facemasks and other personal protection sent to China by Trudeau.  Seems a bit of misplaced anger by our Canadian friends, who should be thoroughly peeved at their own idiot prime minister for sending all their supplies to the laughing Chinese. 

 

 

In this time of crisis Canada has found out which countries are it's true friends and who will back stab it the first chance it gets.

 

https://globalnews.ca/news/6745817/china-donates-medical-supplies-canada/

15 minutes ago, pegman said:

In this time of crisis Canada has found out which countries are it's true friends and who will back stab it the first chance it gets.

 

https://globalnews.ca/news/6745817/china-donates-medical-supplies-canada/

Sure they did.  It seems to me, that this

 

"The Embassy said the Bank of China donated 30,000 medial masks, 10,000 sets of protective clothing, 10,000 goggles and 50,000 pairs of gloves to Canada on Friday." does not equal 70 tonnes. 

 

It's the free lunch.  You give me 100 and I give you 10.  I sure am the buddy.

maybe this will help:

 

OTTAWA -- Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei has quietly made a donation of medical supplies to Canada, CTV News has confirmed.

 

As reported first in The Globe and Mail, the donation includes more than a million masks, 30,000 goggles and 50,000 pair of gloves.

 

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/huawei-donates-medical-supplies-to-canada-amid-shortage-concerns-1.4885317

 

 

 

11 minutes ago, ChouDoufu said:

maybe this will help:

 

OTTAWA -- Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei has quietly made a donation of medical supplies to Canada, CTV News has confirmed.

 

As reported first in The Globe and Mail, the donation includes more than a million masks, 30,000 goggles and 50,000 pair of gloves.

 

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/huawei-donates-medical-supplies-to-canada-amid-shortage-concerns-1.4885317

 

 

 

That's so nice.  Is that the same Huawei company that stole all the Intellectual Property from Nortel (Northern Telecom) and bankrupted them?

 

What nice people.

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/former-nortel-exec-warns-against-working-with-huawei-1.1137006

 

Bankrupt a company, send some masks.  Seems fair ....

 

 

Edited April 7, 20206 yr by Chrysaora

Just now, Chrysaora said:

That's so nice.  Is that the same Huawei company that stole all the Intellectual Property from Nortel (Northern Telecom) and bankrupted them?

 

What nice people.

 

i suppose canada could refuse the supplies, and maybe hope their southern neighbor will have a change of heart.

1 minute ago, ChouDoufu said:

 

i suppose canada could refuse the supplies, and maybe hope their southern neighbor will have a change of heart.

I suppose Canada's idiot PM could have not sent ALL your supplies to China in the first place. 

 

 

Defense Production Act.

2 hours ago, pegman said:

In this time of crisis Canada has found out which countries are it's true friends and who will back stab it the first chance it gets.

 

https://globalnews.ca/news/6745817/china-donates-medical-supplies-canada/

Yes, that was nice of China to give back some of the stuff dummy Trudeau sent them in February. How benevolent.

1 minute ago, Crazy Alex said:

Yes, that was nice of China to give back some of the stuff dummy Trudeau sent them in February. How benevolent.

I would say China the creator of the bioweapon gave back a sliver, not some.

29 minutes ago, Chrysaora said:

I would say China the creator of the bioweapon gave back a sliver, not some.

Even better.

I’m sure that masks are being made as fast as possible and Canada will get theirs.

Infected in Canada is 4% the number in the US.

 

Canada can wait, or Trudeau could always buy-back the donated PPE that China has been caught reselling.

15 hours ago, UbonThani said:

Stuff Canada. Make their own

 

 

Exactly! and hopefully they can still walk around with Maple Leafs on their backpacks.

5 hours ago, ChouDoufu said:

maybe this will help:

 

OTTAWA -- Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei has quietly made a donation of medical supplies to Canada, CTV News has confirmed.

 

As reported first in The Globe and Mail, the donation includes more than a million masks, 30,000 goggles and 50,000 pair of gloves.

 

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/huawei-donates-medical-supplies-to-canada-amid-shortage-concerns-1.4885317

 

 

 

Yes, this being in the news makes it obvious the donation was made "quietly". LOL

On 4/7/2020 at 7:04 AM, samran said:

Not content with making an absolute balls up of the health situation in his own country, this president is going out of the way to make sure his closest ally and neighbour suffers with him. 

Extension of it is us versus them political outlook. I mourn the loss of the USA was seen as a nation motivated to help others.

On 4/7/2020 at 11:54 PM, Chrysaora said:

That's so nice.  Is that the same Huawei company that stole all the Intellectual Property from Nortel (Northern Telecom) and bankrupted them?

 

What nice people.

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/former-nortel-exec-warns-against-working-with-huawei-1.1137006

 

Bankrupt a company, send some masks.  Seems fair ....

 

 

Perhaps China is doing what an American used to do to the people of his own country.

 

Not pay the companies who did the work for him and letting them go bankrupt and look where that got him.

 

POTUS.

On 4/7/2020 at 1:20 PM, Chrysaora said:

https://dailycaller.com/2020/03/26/trudeau-coronavirus-china-canada-medical-supplies-low/

 

71 Tonnes of Facemasks and other personal protection sent to China by Trudeau.  Seems a bit of misplaced anger by our Canadian friends, who should be thoroughly peeved at their own idiot prime minister for sending all their supplies to the laughing Chinese. 

 

 

This was in February. your Canadian friends and Trudeau did exactly the right thing at that moment providing help to the epicenter of the outbreak.

That was the time, where The Donald told my US friends "not problem at all" and - according to a famous Thai genious and general - "everthing's under control".

 

But: Now, that the crisis is worldwide, each country has the right to restrict exports of goods needed at home. So do the US

 

Edited April 9, 20206 yr by JustAnotherHun

3 hours ago, billd766 said:

Perhaps China is doing what an American used to do to the people of his own country.

 

Not pay the companies who did the work for him and letting them go bankrupt and look where that got him.

 

POTUS.

Perhaps the above is complete nonsense and you made it up.  Prove the above statement.

2 hours ago, JustAnotherHun said:

This was in February. your Canadian friends and Trudeau did exactly the right thing at that moment providing help to the epicenter of the outbreak.

Leaving the country with no masks, by giving away your stockpile is not the right thing.  Now people are dying because of this stupid decision.