By Canadian Press

Trump’s national security adviser says Canada should reject Huawei telecom bid

Nov 23, 2019 | 12:27 PM

HALIFAX — Donald Trump’s national security adviser has issued a dire warning to Canada about Chinese telecom giant Huawei, saying Ottawa should reject the company’s plan to deploy its 5G network because the technology would be used as a “Trojan horse” to undermine national security.

Robert O’Brien made the comment at an international security forum in Halifax, which has attracted more than 300 academics, military officials and government leaders from 70 democratic countries.

O’Brien says Huawei would use technology to make personal profiles on Canadians and use private information to influence elections and undermine democracy.

He says vast amounts of private data would be put at risk, including every Canadian’s health records, banking records and every social media post.

The national security adviser, who was appointed to the job in September, says the fallout from such an intrusion into personal data would have an impact on Canada’s participation in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which includes Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

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Earlier in the day, Republican Senator James Risch, chairman of the Senate committee on foreign relations, told reporters that Canada should think twice before getting involved with a company that is little more than an arm of the Chinese Communist party.

This report by the Canadian Press was first published Nov. 23, 2019

The Canadian Press