The Canadian government still has not decided whether or not to ban China’s Huawei from our 5G networks yet, according to an update from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Following new U.S. sanctions against Huawei, Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said it was reviewing security implications of how this might affect British networks.
Last week, it was reported UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was planning to phase out Huawei from British networks completely by 2023, a change from the government’s previous January decision to only limit Huawei from 5G but not ban the company outright.
The Globe and Mail reports Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked about the British decision on Monday, and again asked what Canada will do when it comes to Huawei and 5G. The Prime Minister gave what appeared to be his boilerplate statement on the issue, referring to the government’s review of the matter—which has now spanned 20 months.
“On the issue we have been taking advice from our security officials. We have been working with them on what is the right path forward for Canada,” said the Prime Minister. “We are working closely with our allies and watching what they do to make sure we are all doing the things necessary to create economic opportunities and growth for our country while making sure the safety and security of our infrastructure, our businesses, our people is tantamount.”
While the government continues to mull over its Huawei decision, Bell and Telus have previously announced it plans to use Huawei gear for 5G networks, moving ahead without waiting on any decision from Ottawa.
Canada, along with the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Britain, is part of the Five Eyes alliance, sharing intelligence amongst its members. Only Canada and New Zealand have not made decisions to ban or limit Huawei gear from 5G networks.
Concerns raised from Five Eyes members such as the United States and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service note it would be prudent to ban Huawei from 5G networks, to protect from potential espionage by the Chinese government.
What do you think? Ban Huawei from 5G networks in Canada or not?
