Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau and Doug Ford announced the launch of this project Friday afternoon in Brockville.
Ottawa, Toronto and the 3M Company will equally spend a financial investment of at least $ 70 million to increase the plant’s production capacity, with the goal of manufacturing masks by 2021.
Used correctly, N95s have a minimum filtration capacity of 95%, which is more than other face covers.
Photo: Radio-Canada
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Long-term agreements have also been made to secure the purchase of masks from the American company.
million N95 masks in the federal government and 25million to the province of Ontario “,” text “:” Once operational, the plant will manufacture and supply 25million N95 masks to the federal government and 25million to the province of Ontario “}}” lang = “en” >Once operational, the plant will manufacture and supply 25 million N95 masks to the federal government and 25 million to the province of Ontario
, while another part of the production will be destined for the international market, said Justin Trudeau.
Since the start of the pandemic, this type of mask has been a priority for frontline medical staff and for essential workers.
Stimulate national production
The COVID-19 pandemic quickly exposed Canada’s level of dependence on other countries like China and the United States for essential medical supplies.
Earlier this year, U.S. border officials blocked a shipment of masks destined for Ontario after President Donald Trump ordered 3M to stop exporting essential medical supplies.
This episode triggered a diplomatic frenzy so that Canada can obtain an exemption from the export ban to continue to receive medical equipment.
Since then, Ottawa has made it a priority to strengthen its national supply chain.
We want to secure domestic production of personal protective equipment for years to come, and keep Canadians safe across the country.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, for his part, wants Canada to become completely self-sufficient. He recalled that at one point during the month of April, the province had less than a week
reserve in N95 masks.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Photo: The Canadian Press / Paul Chiasson
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We can never, ever again be put in the position of relying on countries around the world to provide us with personal protective equipment.
, Ford said in April.
Last March, Ottawa also presented its plan to revive domestic production of personal protective equipment in order to create a longer-term supply to the country. In particular, it is planned to build a production line of N95 masks in Montreal, although the project is slow to start.
Since January, the 3M company has increased its global production of N95 masks and hopes to reach 2 billion masks per year by the end of 2020.
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