WINNIPEG, Manitoba – Maine’s John Baldacci and five other U.S. governors eager to keep cheap Canadian drugs flowing freely across the border want to meet with Prime Minister Paul Martin in Ottawa to address mounting speculation that the government is set to clamp down on the practice.

In a letter sent to Martin on Wednesday, the governors say any action by Ottawa to halt the $1 billion trade could be disastrous for the estimated 2 million Americans shopping at mail-order pharmacies.

“We believe it is imperative that the Canadian government realize the restriction of prescription drug supplies could mean the difference between life and death for many Americans,” wrote the governors.

The letter, spearheaded by Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, was also signed by Baldacci, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Gov. John Hoeven of North Dakota.

Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh has repeatedly outlined his concerns that “Canada can not be the drugstore to the United States.”

He fears the cross-border trade could cause drug shortages in Canada and threaten the regulated pricing system that leaves Canadians paying significantly less for many drugs than their uninsured or underinsured American counterparts.

Dosanjh is expected to announce a specific plan in the coming weeks. It will likely target who can get a Canadian prescription, effectively killing the industry.

The issue of Canadian doctors co-signing U.S. prescriptions is a key point in the contentious debate.

Dosanjh, whose supporters include the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Pharmacists Association and various patient-advocacy groups, has called it unethical and unprofessional for doctors to write prescriptions for patients they have not personally examined.