Feds order Chinese tech firm to close Canadian operations over national security
In this Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018, file photo, visitors pass by a booth for state-owned surveillance equipment manufacturer Hikvision at the Security China 2018 expo in Beijing, China. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
The federal government is ordering a Chinese maker of surveillance camera systems to shutter its Canadian business and leave the country over national security concerns.
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly says in a post on X that the orders issues to Hikvision Canada Inc. are the result of a national security review under the Investment Canada Act.
As part of the review, Joly says the government looked at information and evidence provided by Canada's security and intelligence community.
She says the government ultimately determined allowing the company to keep operating in Canada would be harmful for the country's national security.
On top of ordering Hikvision Canada to shut down, Joly says she is also moving to ensure the federal government, its departments, agencies and Crown corporations do not use or purchase equipment from the company.
She says the government is also conducting a review of its properties to ensure legacy Hikvision products are not used going forward. She says the public should make note of these moves but stopped short of urging them to stop using Hikvision technology as well.
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