The government of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has decided to ban Huawei technologies for its 5G networks. This was made known by a spokesman for the Ministry of Public Security, according to Cbc News.
Critics, including opposition conservatives, have long pressed liberals to ban the Chinese company from playing a role in the infrastructure, saying it would make it easier for Beijing to spy on Canadians.
The United States had warned about the security implications: it is risky to give the Chinese tech giant access to key telecommunications infrastructure that could be used for espionage. Both Huawei and Beijing have always denied the allegations.
Huawei and 5G, a question of power and not of technology
Canada has been looking into the matter for several years, repeatedly delaying a decision that was scheduled for 2019. Ottawa has remained silent after China imprisoned diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor, in what observers believed retaliation for the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wangzhou in Vancouver in December 2018 at the request of the United States. All three were released in September 2021 after Meng reached an agreement with US prosecutors on the fraud allegations.