Deals with Chinese firm would be security risk: intelligence expert

Deals with Chinese firm would be security risk: intelligence expert

 MAY 16, 2012

OTTAWA - Canadian security could be compromised as companies do business with a massive Chinese tech firm, warns an intelligence expert.

Australia and the United States refuse to allow companies to deal with China’s Huawei Technologies due to security concerns, but Canadian firms Bell and Telus have recently signed agreements with the tech giant.

“(The government) have been ignoring some very, very important warnings,” said Michel Juneau-Katsuya, a former manager for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

Juneau-Katsuya said Canada’s allies may have second thoughts about sharing government information through our communications systems because of the deal with Huawei.

“This way of doing business is counter-logical,” he said. “It goes against the logic of our allies.

“It goes against the logic of security, basic security ... we are talking about evidence that has been collected by our allies.”

The Conservative government has been working to warm relations with China for years but opposition parties say dealing with companies like Huawei is risky business.

“Huawei will be allowed to buy up key telecommunications assets here in Canada despite the fact that the United States and Australia have blocked it from major telecom projects due to serious national security concerns,” NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair said. “The United States and Australia are two of our closest allies. They still see the risk. Why did the prime minister choose to ignore their warnings?”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper defended the government’s stance Tuesday, stating Canada does not “take dictates on security from the United States.”

“The leader of the NDP is speaking of some contractual relationships between some Canadian companies and foreign companies,” Harper said. “The particular concerns that he raised in fact have been addressed. Those concerns were examined and those concerns have been addressed in our mind.”