Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he is "very pleased" 3M and the U.S. administration have reached a deal to continue to ship N95 respirators to Canada.
The Minnesota-based company, that has its Canadian headquarters in London, announced it will be able to import 166.5 million of the coveted medical face masks, primarily from its manufacturing plant in China, over the next three months for health-care workers in the U.S. That is in addition to the 35-million N95 respirators 3M currently produce per month in the United States.
Under the agreement, the Trump Administration will remove export and regulatory restrictions so 3M can continue to ship the much needed medical face masks to Canada and Latin America.
“Given the reality that demand for respirators outpaces supply, we are working around the clock to further expand our capacity, while prioritizing and redirecting our supplies to serve the most critical areas,” 3M Chairman and CEO Mike Roman said in a statement. “We’ll continue to do all we can to protect our heroic healthcare workers and first responders, and I want to thank our 96,000 3Mers for your tireless efforts – including those in our plants and distribution centers around the world.”
Word of the deal spread Monday night, hours after Premier Ford publicly announced the province's stock of masks was incredibly low. He said around four million of the masks ordered from 3M had been stalled at the U.S. border on Sunday.
Ford expressed his satisfaction with the new deal between 3M and the White House in a tweet.
"I am very pleased that a resolution has been reached between 3M and the U.S. administration. I want to thank 3M and officials on both sides of the border for their support to ensure Canada’s continued access to vital PPE. We are stronger together," tweeted Ford.
Penny Wise, president of 3M Canada, issued a statement on the company's website that respirators would be distributed where they are needed most across the country.
"We are actively collaborating with federal and provincial governments and our partners across the country as the respirators arrive, to get them into the hands of those who are at the frontlines who are having the greatest impact on public health and safety," said Wise.
The Trump Administration had previously ordered 3M to save all of its stock for Americans. But the order received push back from the company due to the humanitarian implications withholding the medical supplies during a pandemic would create.
I am very pleased that a resolution has been reached between 3M and the U.S. administration. I want to thank 3M and officials on both sides of the border for their support to ensure Canada’s continued access to vital PPE. We are stronger together.
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) April 7, 2020