Trudeau Pressured to Ban Huawei, Decision to Come in the Next Few Weeks

Justin Trudeau, Canada's Prime Minister, held a press conference on Sept. 28. He was asked about why the Canadian government has not banned Huawei and if it plans to.

Trudeau to Announce Fate of Huawei

With Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, both Canadian citizens, freed after the release of Meng Wanzhou, a Huawei executive, the Chinese telecommunications company could be the next problem that Canada and China have to face.

Huawei, known as one of the world's largest smartphone providers, has business dealings in Canada. The company has wanted to build a 5G wireless connection in the country for years.

However, the Canadian government has yet to decide if Huawei will be permitted to work with the networks in Canada to create a working 5G network.

Trudeau stated that they had seen a lot of Canadian telecommunications companies that have begun to remove Huawei from their networks. They are also now moving in ways that do not involve Huawei as a company.

Trudeau added that the government is weighing their options, but they will definitely be making announcements within the next few weeks.

Huawei has connections to the Chinese government's ruling. Margaret McCuaig-Johnson from the University of Ottawa's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs said Canada should move as fast as possible to ban the Chinese company.

In 2018 Rogers chose Ericsson to be their 5G supplier. Bell and Telus followed their steps, with Telus adding Nokia to their list.

In 2020, Huawei's ban led to Japan's Kioxia contract with the United States to supply chips.

In the same year, Huawei's 5G ban led to Nokia snatching the $600 Million deal in the UK.

McCuaig-Johnson believes it is important for Canada to ban Huawei completely even if the carriers find other companies that they can work with.

Huawei Security Concerns

According to Global News, a spokesperson for the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry wrote that the goal is to make sure that Canadian networks are safe and secure and that the government will not compromise when it comes to national security.

While the spokesperson did not mention Huawei, it will consider technical and security factors, including advice from the security agencies, and they will consider decisions from their partners and allies.

The spokesperson added that the government has been clear that it will launch an approach that will consider the important domestic and international considerations. It will also make the best decision for all Canadians, according to CTV News.

Canada's Stance on Banning Huawei

Canada is a member of an intelligence operation between Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States called Five Eyes. The other four members have already banned Huawei's 5G network, according to Reuters.

David Welch, a professor of politics and global governance at the University at Waterloo, stated that the timing of banning Huawei is not urgent.

However, Welch said that with the relationship being rocky, it is better just to move on than to wait.
Welch said that he would be surprised Canada will not walk away from the 5G rollout since that is what the other partners did.

With China holding both Kovrig and Spavor hostage, it was clear that a tenuous relationship between Canada and China has led to this process of banning Huawei from being delayed.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Sophie Webster