The U.S. government is making a “big mistake” by halting exports of U.S.-made N95 respirator masks to Canada, according to a former Canadian ambassador to the United States. 

“It’s a mugs game once you start down that path,"  Frank McKenna, said in an interview on Monday. 

"We’re in a very interconnected world and you know the United States has to understand that a lot of the masks that 3M are bringing to the table in the U.S, are from China. Do they want China to retaliate by stopping the export of those masks?”

McKenna served as Canadian Ambassador to the United States from 2005 to 2006 and is currently the deputy chair of wholesale at TD Bank Group.

“Once you start taking one piece of it and peeling it back, you expose gaping wounds in other areas so I think it’s a big mistake,” he added.

3M Co. announced Friday that the Trump Administration asked it to stop exporting U.S.-made N95 respirator masks to healthcare workers in Canada and Latin America.

McKenna also highlighted that the Canadian government has been able to work with the current U.S. administration on prior files such as the new NAFTA free trade negotiations by remaining firm and shouldn’t change course now.

“We’ve been able to overcome a lot of pettiness from this administration with the NAFTA negotiations, tax on steel and aluminum, the idea of bringing troops to the border all of that, by staying firm and strong and resolute,” McKenna said.

“I think ultimately we are going to succeed more with generosity than we will with animosity.”