A teenage girl in California died by suicide after she reportedly struggled to cope with the stay-at-home orders amid the Coronavirus outbreak.

Florian Mayneris, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and Julien Martin, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)

The current COVID-19 crisis reveals that most countries are vulnerable to foreign disruptions in the supply of medical products that are essential in the fight against the coronavirus.

Canada is no exception, as shown by the recent controversy over U.S. President Donald Trump asking the company 3M to stop exporting masks to Canada to ensure enough supply for the United States.

Even though the controversy had a relatively quick resolution and 3M masks will still be shipped to Canada, it is worth examining Canada’s dependence on the United States for medical products overall.

We have looked at information from COMTRADE, a database maintained by the United Nations that tracks the bilateral trade for almost 200 countries and 5,000 product categories. Some of these categories are broader than the specific products we’d like to consider, but they offer internationally comparable data.

Professional masks

Professional masks, such as the now famous N95 masks, are essential in the battle against COVID-19, but in Canada, most of them are imported. They appear in the COMTRADE product category as “breathing appliances and gas masks” and “protective masks” having no mechanical parts.

In 2018, Canada imported about $126 million and exported $54 million of professional masks. The U.S. is the largest exporter and accounts for 90 per cent of Canadian mask imports. This figure includes direct exports of masks produced in the U.S. and re-exports by the U.S. of masks produced in other countries.

Canadian imports of masks are not diversified across supplying countries, which explains the alarm of Canadian authorities after the Trump administration threatened to restrict the exports of these products. The U.S. and Canada eventually reached a deal that maintains the trade of masks, but the unpredictable decisions of the Trump administration might be directed to other key supplies in the future.

COVID-19 products

Beyond professional masks, the WTO recently published a list of products that are essential for tackling COVID-19. We tracked 75 of these products in COMTRADE data. Let’s call them COVID-19 products.

In Canada, COVID-19 products accounted for 3.9 per cent of total imports in 2018, compared to 5.8 per cent in the U.S. These products include medicinal products, immunological products, medical, surgical or dental instruments and plastic products, among which there are certain types of masks. The exact composition of COVID product imports differs in each country, reflecting their different manufacturing structures.

If we focus on the trade balance, or the difference between exports and imports, both countries had a trade deficit with the rest of the world — they imported more than they exported — for COVID-19 products in 2018.

Many COVID-19 products are bilaterally traded between the United States and Canada. In 2018, the U.S. represented 54 per cent of overall Canadian imports of COVID-19 products whereas Canada represented only six per cent of American COVID-19 product imports. Overall, Canada had a trade deficit for these products with the U.S. (though that’s not the case when we consider all manufacturing goods together).

The dependence of Canada on the U.S. is not limited to professional masks. The U.S. accounts for more than 75 per cent of Canadian imports for 32 COVID-19 products. Among those products, some are rarely exported by Canada, which suggests the country couldn’t easily substitute domestic production with foreign supply.

These products include medicines containing penicillin, photographic plates and films for X-rays, laboratory, hygienic or pharmaceutical glassware, syringes, needles and catheters.

Conversely, Canada accounts for at least 30 per cent of U.S. imports for only four COVID-19 products (hydrogen peroxide which is often used as an antiseptic, certain types of medicinal products containing antibiotics or vitamins and certain types of soap). Given its dependence on so many COVID products, Canada cannot afford an escalation of trade hostilities with the United States at the moment.

Nonetheless, the situation might not be as bleak as the numbers seem to suggest.

Masks in public

First, when the pandemic shutdowns are eventually relaxed, governments like Canada may continue to recommend that citizens don masks when grocery shopping or on public transit. Canada, particularly Québec, has a strong textile industry and could produce masks.

Second, Canada is also a key supplier to the United States for certain types of products needed in the fight against the coronavirus, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently pointed out.

An example of this is the red cedar pulp used for the production of medical masks and gowns, which is currently mainly produced by Harmac Pacific in British Columbia.

The COMTRADE data also shows that Canada is a key supplier to the United States for some products that the U.S. does not export much itself to other countries, and therefore rarely produces. They include antibiotics other than penicillin, sterilizers for medical, surgical or laboratory use and electro-cardiographs.

In times of crisis, it’s easier to ensure quick deliveries, if necessary, with commercial partners that are geographically close and with whom we share a trusting relationship. And so maintaining a harmonious relationship between Canada and the U.S. is important for both countries.

The 3M controversy, although quickly resolved, starkly illustrated that Canada must find compromises with its southern neighbour about the trade of COVID products.

Florian Mayneris, Associate professor, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and Julien Martin, Associate professor, ESG UQAM, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Noah S. Schwartz, Carleton University

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a surge in gun sales. Estimates based on background checks show that an estimated 2.6 million guns were sold in the United States in March. That is an 85 per cent increase over the same period last year.

While there are no official numbers, gun stores in Canada have also reported increased sales. This has spurred some news media to draw comparisons between the two nations’ gun-sales spikes, potentially stoking the fears of the Canadian public.

This angst has been echoed by gun control groups in Canada that have expressed concerns regarding the impact of “increased access to guns” on public health.

But few have noted the three key differences between the American and Canadian COVID-19 gun-sales spike.

No. 1: Why are they buying?

Canadians and Americans buy guns for different reasons. Over the past few decades, the United States has witnessed a transformation in its civilian gun culture. While in the past, gun ownership was mainly related to hunting and sports shooting, changes in laws and gun advertising have led to a rise in gun ownership for self-defence.

In the 1970s, only 20 per cent of gun owners indicated self-defence as their primary reason for gun ownership. In the 1990s, following the explosion of laws that allowed Americans to carry guns outside the home, 46 per cent listed self-protection.

More recent studies have shown that 76 per cent of gun owners now report protection as their primary motivation for gun ownership.

The surge in first-time buyers suggests that many Americans buying guns during the pandemic are doing so due to concerns about self-defence, given fears of looting, violence and the government’s capacity to deal with the crisis.

With the absence of a gun-carry movement in Canada, this same shift has not taken place. The conditions under which guns can be used for self-defence in Canada are narrow, and the government stringently regulates not only firearms ownership, but the discourse surrounding guns.

Self-defence is not a legal reason to acquire a firearm in Canada, and cannot be listed as a reason for firearms ownership on a Possession and Acquisition License (PAL) application.

Though no research exists at this time, owners of gun stores who were interviewed by the media noted that Canadians are likely panic-buying due to a fear of shortages rather than a fear of violence, since the Canadian supply chain is heavily dependent on the United States.

That means gun owners who might have waited to buy firearms and ammunition for target shooting over the summer or hunting this fall are buying them now.

No. 2: How are they buying them?

Another key difference between the bump in sales in Canada versus the U.S. is the requirements to purchase guns and ammunition. South of the border, most firearms legislation is made at the state level, with big differences in gun laws across the country.

In many states, the only requirement to purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer is a federal background check, though states like California and Massachusetts have much stricter laws.

In Canada, the bump in sales is limited to those who have already passed through the RCMP’s extensive licensing regime. This process often takes up to six months and includes a weekend-long course, passing a written and practical test and reference checks. Canadian gun owners are subject to continuous automatic background checks as long as they hold the licence.

So if somebody is legally purchasing a gun in Canada, it means the RCMP could find “no reasons why, in the interest of public safety, they should not possess a firearm.”

No. 3: Who is buying what?

Many of the people buying guns in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic reported that it was their first time purchasing a gun. Furthermore, the majority of guns sold during the current boom have been handguns rather than long guns.

Though it’s a bit early to speculate, this could very well lead to even less support for gun control in the U.S., given that gun owners are unsurprisingly the least likely group to support gun control.

In Canada, on the other hand, it is likely that only a small minority of gun purchases during the Canadian spike were first-time buyers given the time frame required to acquire a firearm licence in Canada.

Statistics on the breakdown of handguns versus long gun purchases during the Canadian pandemic spike don’t exist, but we can guess that most of the new guns purchased in Canada were long guns being used for hunting or sports shooting.

That’s because gun owners wishing to own handguns must have a special Restricted Possession and Acquisition License (RPAL) and maintain a membership at a shooting club, which can cost hundreds of dollars per year and limits handgun ownership to serious target shooters.

Of Canada’s 2.2 million licensed gun owners, only about a quarter have licences that allow them to purchase handguns.

And so it’s clear there are major differences between the gun purchase spikes in Canada and the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. This will hopefully set anxious Canadian minds at ease and let everyone get back to focusing on more pressing problems.

Noah S. Schwartz, PhD Candidate, Political Science, Carleton University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.