By Thomas I. Likness
EBC Edmonton Bureau

EDMONTON (Eagle News) — Prime Minister Trudeau stopped short of threatening retaliation if United States President Donald Trump follows through with an order to stop 3M from exporting medical masks to Canada.

Trump has told 3M manufacturer not to export its N95 respirators to the Canadian and Latin American markets.

Trudeau said Friday Trump was wrong to say that, noting the U.S. also receives essential supplies and products from Canada as well as health care services.

“I think of the thousand of nurses, for example, who cross the bridge in Windsor to work in the Detroit medical system every single day,” said Trudeau. “These are thing that Americans rely on and 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.”

“That is the point we’re making very clearly to the American administration right now,” he added.

Trudeau sidestepped the issue of retaliatory action.

“I am confident that the close and deep relationship between Canada and the U.S. will hold strong and that we will not have to see interruptions in supply chains in either direction,” said Trudeau.

Trudeau said 3M is aware of the danger of stopping the exports.

“There is such trade that goes back and forth in essential services and it could end up hurting Americans as much as it hurts anybody else,” he said. “That is the point 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.”

(Eagle News Service)