THE STRENGTH OF TRUDEAU'S COMMITMENT

   The head of the organization representing Canada's personal protective equipment manufacturers says the industry feels betrayed by the Canadian government because it's not buying from small, home-grown companies after encouraging them to step up to deliver "critical supplies."

   Barry Hunt, president of the Canadian Association of Personal Protective Equipment Manufacturers, says the domestic market is now saturated with cheap imports of masks and other protective items, and companies that have developed new, environmentally friendly products in Canada can't get government contracts.
   "The prime minister himself and the federal government made a commitment to our industry to buy products," said Hunt.
  "What we've seen is the exact opposite: buying only from multinationals, buying only commodity products, locking health-care workers out of new and innovative products, and essentially, decimating the new PPE industry."