PRESSURE MOUNTS ON OTTAWA’S DECISION ON 5G

OTTAWA • The Trudeau government has long characterized it as a dispassionate policy exercise drawing on expert evidence.

But the political drumbeats are growing louder — at home and abroad — as the federal Liberals come closer to deciding whether to let a Chinese telecom firm help build Canada’s next-generation mobile networks.

The development of 5G, or fifth-generation, networks will give people speedier connections and provide vast data capacity to meet demand for emerging applications, like virtual reality and autonomous driving.

In Canada, China-based Huawei Technologies, Sweden’s Ericsson and Finland’s Nokia are among the leading candidates to help telecommunication firms such as BCE and Telus build their 5G networks.

The opposition Conservatives are pressing the Liberals to deny Huawei a role in assembling the country’s 5G infrastructure, alleging it will allow Beijing to spy on Canadians more easily.

Some security experts say Huawei’s participation could give it access to an array of digital data gleaned from how and where customers use their electronic devices. In turn, the theory goes, Chinese agencies could pressure the company into handing over the information.

Such fears stem from the fact China’s National Intelligence Law plainly states that Chinese organizations and citizens shall assist state intelligence work.

At a forum in Halifax last November, the U.S. national security adviser urged Ottawa to bar Huawei from 5G efforts because the technology would be used as a “Trojan horse.” The warning came a day after China’s ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu, dismissed the notion Huawei could compromise users’ security by installing “back-door” channels in equipment.

Benjamin Howes, a Huawei Canada vice-president for international media affairs, notes the company’s involvement in Canada’s 4G networks has never led to any such security incident.

“In every country where we have a business presence, we’re committed to complying with the applicable laws and regulations, and Canada is no different,” Howes said.

Ottawa is carrying out a comprehensive review of Huawei’s potential role in 5G that includes a broader, strategic look at how the technology can foster economic growth.

Given the scope of the review, several agencies — namely Public Safety Canada, CSIS, the Communications Security Establishment, Global Affairs, and Innovation, Science and Economic Development — are taking part. “We will ensure that our networks are kept secure and will take the appropriate decisions in due course,” said Scott Bardsley, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Bill Blair.

The government has been tight-lipped about the exercise, but the results are expected relatively soon.