Mélanie Joly, the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, has commanded Hikvision Canada Inc. to cease all operations in Canada and close its Canadian businesses.
“The government has determined that Hikvision Canada Inc.’s continued operations in Canada would be injurious to Canada’s national security,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs says in a statement that was shared on X.
Joly continues by saying that the decision is the result of a review that assessed information and evidence provided by Canada’s security and intelligence community. Therefore, she strongly encourages Canadian citizens to get rid of Hikvision’s security cameras.
Furthermore, all Canadian government departments, agencies, and crown corporations are prohibited from purchasing and using Hikvision products. The government will see to it that no Hikvision products are used going forward.
“The government of Canada welcomes foreign investment, but will never compromise on Canada’s national security,” Jody concludes in her press release.
Hikvision Canada Inc. isn’t happy with the Canadian government’s decision and says the decision is based on “unfounded allegations of national security concerns.”
“We strongly disagree with this decision and view it with deep concern, as we believe it lacks a factual basis, procedural fairness, and transparency. Instead of evaluating our technology on its cybersecurity merits, the decision appears to be driven by the parent company’s country of origin, reflecting broader geopolitical tensions and an unjustified bias against Chinese companies,” the company responded.
Hikvision has been considered a controversial Chinese company for the past few years. Privacy experts believe the manufacturer has built a backdoor into its products to remotely view the camera footage and spy on clients.
Chinese law requires companies to hand over confidential information they can obtain via their products to the government, intelligence services, or the military if national security is at stake.
For this reason, installing Hikvision security cameras in or near government buildings in the United States isn't allowed. Years ago, the European Parliament also decided to ban cameras from Hikvision, and the Australian government decided to remove security cameras from the manufacturer in 2023.
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