In the wake of the UK’s move to ban #Huawei from the country’s #5G infrastructure, pressure is mounting on Canada to take a decision experts say will either distance it from longtime allies or risk further eroding its relationship with China.
Canada is now the last nation in the Five Eyes security alliance — also comprised of the United States, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand — not to have closed its door to Huawei. thestar.com/news/canada/20…@TorontoStar#cdnpoli#fiveeyes
In a statement to the Star, #Huawei Canada’s VP of corporate affairs said the U.K. decision will not change the company’s goals in Canada. This includes setting up its cutting-edge North America R&D centre here. thestar.com/news/canada/20…@avelshi@TorontoStar
“It’s not just selling network equipment. We also sell consumer devices such as smartphones, sell fixed wireless equipment to rural telecom carriers and fund world-class research and development,” @Huawei Canada’s VP of corporate affairs told me. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
Huawei spent nearly $200 million in Canada last year. From 540 R&D staff in 2018, it now employs 800.
@caparsons said this influx of jobs and money into Canada could give Beijing leverage by threatening to force Huawei to pull out of the country. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
He also cautioned that Canada should not stop at making a decision on whether to ban Huawei’s involvement in 5G development.
“Hacking isn’t going to stop if Huawei stops making our network equipment ... That’s not a cybersecurity strategy.” thestar.com/news/canada/20…@citizenlab
Whoops the “has been published” in first tweet was from me copying and pasting our publication alert email haha. Tweet-promoting in the car (as a passenger, after a post-work bike ride)! thestar.com/news/canada/20…
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I was amazed when UBC computer scientist @NP_tokumei offered me a first crack at his new platform, which tricks China's Great Firewall into showing precise blocking data. We worked on this research all summer!
Latest investigation by me, based on research from @DisinfoEU:
A website spread disinformation about Canada. Why did major Indian outlets treat it as news? via @torontostarthestar.com/politics/feder…
@DisinfoEU @TorontoStar IFFRAS appeared to be the last active Canadian node of a large fake news network.
This story highlights how disinformation can be weaponized to distort and misrepresent Canada to outsiders — and how it can malign diaspora in the process. @TorontoStarthestar.com/politics/feder…
@DisinfoEU @TorontoStar “These are sophisticated and purposeful activities meant not just to support the false information ecosystem within India for local consumption but to present false information to outsiders — including politicians and the public in Canada.”
#Breaking NDP is tabling a motion asking for David Johnston to step aside as special rapporteur on foreign interference “given clear appearance of bias.” @JennyKwanBC will also speak about her briefing with CSIS after she told @TorontoStar she was a “person of interest” to China.
“Whoever is putting pressure on me, they won’t succeed,” says @JennyKwanBC, who said she’ll continue to stand with people of Hong Kong and China. She “recommits herself to this fight” and “no amount of foreign interference would change that.” Confirms targeting is from China.
#EXCLUSIVE Canada set to name foreign labs, universities that pose risk to national security
Leading universities say they'll avoid working with the entities altogether — despite potential $100M loss in annual funding from foreign partners. thestar.com/news/canada/20…@TorontoStar
The list will include foreign entities at “higher risk” of engaging in research theft, unwanted knowledge transfers and interference, according to documents I saw.
The Canadian government confirmed to me this list is coming - likely first of its kind. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
NEW: Canada's list appears to be the first to serve as a “blanket ban” for federal funding for research with "higher risk" entities. And universities will apply more broadly.
Canada’s top-rated research university will end all its partnerships with Chinese telecoms giant #Huawei.
“We are disentangling ourselves from this company,” Charmaine Dean, vice-president of research at the University of Waterloo, told me exclusively. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
Waterloo’s decision — which @M_Johnston1 called extremely significant and possibly precedent-setting — will affect dozens of deals between the university and Huawei, including the school’s Waterloo-Huawei Joint Innovation Lab. thestar.com/news/canada/20…@TorontoStar
My story on knowing the ABCs of foreign influence coming out soon @TorontoStar. I went on to explain here that the RCMP and CSIS definitions of “foreign influence” are different.