Canada's use of Huawei 5G would hamper access to US intelligence: US official
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TheUSnational security adviser urged Canada on Saturday not touseHuawei5Gtechnology, saying that doing sowouldput in jeopardyintelligencesharing with the United States and expose Canadians to being profiled by the Chinese government.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau postponed a decision on whether touseHuaweiTechnologies Co Ltd5Gnetwork equipment until after the October federal election. He has not commented on the issue since winning the October 21 vote.
Intelligencesharing "wouldbe impacted if our close allies let the Trojan horse into the city," national security adviser Robert O'Brien told reporters at a security conference in Halifax.
"When they (the Chinese) getHuaweiinto Canada or into other Western countries, they're going to know every health record, every banking record, every social media post, they're going to know everything about every single Canadian," he said.
The question of whetherHuawei's5Gequipment could contain back doors allowingaccessto Chinese spying is dividing Canada anditspartners in the Five Eyesintelligence-sharing network.
The United States, Australia, and New Zealand have bans in place, while Britain is taking a less firm line, indicatingHuawei's5Gproducts could beused in less sensitive areas.
"We are going to take our time so that we can appropriately examine all potential threats,"Canada'sDefense Minister Harjit Sajjan, who is also in Halifax, said.
"We have been extremely mindful in protecting our current 4G technology and the decisions that we make regarding5Gwill make sure that these systems are as strong as our current system, if not stronger," he said.
Canada has been caught in the middle of theUS-China dispute overHuaweisince Canadian police arrestedHuawei's chief financial officer on aUSwarrant in December, a move condemned by China.
Beijing subsequently picked up two Canadian men in China, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, and charged them with spying. They are still being held.
The detention of the two men as "leverageshouldn't be allowed to stand," O'Brien said.
US Senator Angus King, who also spoke in Halifax, echoed O'Brien's concerns.
"Itwouldmake it very difficult to have a fullintelligence-sharing information with a partner who has installed a direct line to Beijing," King said.