OTTAWA—A U.S. proposal to station troops across its border with Canada as a defence against a virus invasion appeared to be off the table Thursday night, just hours after Canadian took offence and voiced objections.

The federal government came out swinging earlier in the day, declaring that it strongly opposed a proposal by the White House to deploy American troops to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic by illegal border-crossers.

Using uncommonly tough language, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland — Ottawa’s point person on U.S. relations — warned that Canada would view a troop deployment “as damaging to our relationship.

“The idea to have America troops sent to our border is unnecessary. The public health situation does not require such action and on the Canadian side we do not think it would be appropriate given the very cordial relationship that our two countries have,” Freeland told a news conference.

“We just don’t think this is the right way to treat a trusted friend and military ally.”

On Thursday evening, the Wall Street Journal reported the idea had been nixed, putting an end to the possibility that the border so famously free of a military presence could see U.S. troop deployments to fight the pandemic.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had confirmed earlier Thursday that he was aware of the proposal to have American troops help border agents detect people trying to sneak into the U.S.

“Canada and the United States have the longest unmilitarized border in the world and it is very much in both of our interests to remain that way. We have been in discussions with the United States on this,” Trudeau said in his daily briefing.

He said the fact the border is not militarized is “something that has benefited our two countries and both our economies tremendously.

“We feel that it needs to remain that way,” he said.

Trudeau was reacting to a Global News report that the White House was pushing for a troop presence along the border because of concerns about the spread of COVID-19.

According to the report, troops would have been placed at points near the border to detect those trying to sneak past official crossings. That information would be passed to U.S. border agents, who would be responsible for detaining such border-crossers.

The Nation reported that U.S. Customs and Border Protection was seeking the aid of more than 1,500 military personnel to help patrol the borders with Mexico and Canada.

Freeland said that federal officials learned of the proposal several days ago. That prompted cabinet ministers to “very forcefully” raise the issue with U.S. officials, she said.

Kirsten Hillman, who was confirmed Thursday as Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., said last week’s deal between Washington and Ottawa to restrict non-essential travel while keeping trade moving is a sign that the border is working fine and the relationship works.

“What I have expressed very firmly and clearly here in Washington to senior U.S. government interlocutors at (the State Department) and elsewhere, is that such action isn’t necessary and it's not helpful. It sends a signal that there is a problem at the border, and there isn't,” she told the Star’s Alex Ballingall.

Privately, officials in Ottawa weren’t sure whether the drive to deploy troops was driven by practical or political considerations in Washington, given President Donald Trump’s desire to be seen to shoring up America’s borders, especially the one with Mexico.

Trump offered no clear explanation when asked about it Thursday. He first said he would look into it, then said troops were already present at the border, saying it was a matter of “equal justice” given the force on the southern border.

He then claimed the troop presence was a reaction to illegal trade. “In Canada, we do have troops along the border. We have a lot of things coming in from Canada, some illegal trade we don’t like ... dumping steel,” Trump said.

Freeland had cautioned that the idea might never come to fruition. Governments everywhere, in their haste to react to the fast-moving spread of the virus, often toss out ideas that then never get acted on, she said.

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In Canada, the federal government was embarking on its own crackdown to curb the spread of the pandemic with a mandatory, 14-day quarantine of travellers returning home from trips outside the country.

Public health officials had been strongly advising people to self-isolate to ensure they had not brought the virus from another jurisdiction. But now officials are empowered to enforce that isolation with threats of fines, even jail time for offenders.

Asked why Canada did not make it mandatory sooner, before the return of March break travellers, Trudeau said the government responded after it became clear that not everyone was following the guidelines.

“Unfortunately, there have been too many people who have not and that’s why we have to take this further step of making quarantine mandatory and bringing in reinforcement measures as well,” he said.

Enforcing the self-isolation will include spot checks on travellers to ensure they are remaining at home.

“For these people, we’re doing random checks because there are many travellers coming across the border ... that is felt to be the most reasonable approach,” Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, told reporters.

Trudeau reacted to reports of medical supply shortages Thursday, saying that supplies were adequate and that more help was on the way as manufacturers tool up production to meet growing demand.

“I can assure everyone that the federal stockpiles have been sufficient to meet the needs of the provinces until this point. And in the coming days, we will be receiving millions more items that are necessary right across the country,” the prime minister said.

In recent days, hospitals and public health units have made public appeals for protective medical gear, such as masks and gowns. In an appeal on Wednesday for example, the Brockville General Hospital, said its supplier could provide no timeline for when the hospital might be restocked.

“We know our current inventory is not adequate for the anticipated influx of patients,” the hospital said on Twitter.

The military, which has its own stockpile of personal protective equipment and health care equipment, said Thursday that its supplies are enough to meet the needs of its front-line personnel.

“We will not be sharing our personal protective equipment supplies with the provinces and territories at this time, nor are we currently producing or distributing such equipment,” the military said in a statement to the Star.

However, the military noted that the Public Health Agency of Canada has released items from the National Emergency Strategic Stockpile to provinces and territories, including surgical masks, gloves and N95 respirators.

With files from Edward Keenan

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