Trudeau’s Parliament Pause Leaves Huawei in Telco Networks [Update]

Telcos such as Iristel, Telus and Bell no longer have a law forcing a removal timeline for existing Huawei equipment from their networks, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shut down Parliament last week, effectively killing a key cybersecurity bill.

Bill C-26 was meant to enforce the removal of Huawei gear from the country’s telecom networks due to national security concerns (such as Huawei’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party), but it never passed despite being close to completion, reports The Logic.

Back in 2022, the feds told telecoms to stop buying Huawei (and ZTE) equipment and set deadlines to remove it: by July 2024 for 5G networks and by 2027 for older 4G systems. However, these instructions were not legally enforceable without the key cybersecurity bill.

Companies like Iristel, Telus, and Bell had already started replacing Huawei equipment, but the forced removal timeline no longer applies. Iristel’s CEO, Samer Bishay, said the company would only replace Huawei gear when it breaks or becomes outdated, saving money in the process.

Canada’s now-defunct bill didn’t offer any financial support. Telcos were demanding taxpayer compensation for the longest time, since the US did offer its telcos money for demanding the same thing.

It was said Telus estimated it would cost $1 billion for them to rip out Huawei gear. Saskatchewan’s SaskTel had to rip out Huawei 4G equipment and was not happy about it.

Ottawa said Huawei was a security risk because the Chinese government could force the company to share data. Huawei denies this claim and still operates in Canada, even hiring for new jobs.

“In Canada, we always fall short of taking anything … to full completion mostly due to government lack of fundamental understanding of the issues at play,” said Samer Bishay, CEO of Iristel, to The Logic.

With Parliament shut down, there’s no clear timeline now for Huawei network gear removal, but companies are still removing equipment as promised. Trudeau’s decision to prorogue Parliament axes any legal obligation for telecom companies to meet the original removal timelines.

Update Jan. 14, 2025: A Telus spokesperson told iPhone in Canada in a statement it continues to remove Huawei gear, saying, “in accordance with ISED’s policy statement, Telus is actively upgrading legacy 4G network infrastructure, leveraging a multi-vendor strategy with partners such as Nokia, Ericsson and Samsung for our 5G build. Additionally, Telus continues to innovate to provide the best quality and network experience for our customers by adopting an industry-leading multi-vendor Open RAN approach for our network infrastructure.”

Bell told iPhone in Canada in a statement on Tuesday, “it has already begun replacing Huawei network equipment in its 4G network as part of our normal upgrade lifecycle, in compliance with the government’s timeline,” emphasizing its 5G vendors are Nokia and Ericsson.