Canada’s Industry Minister, Melanie Joly, said the government has determined that Hikvision Canada’s continued operations would be detrimental to Canada’s national security. ‘Following a National Security Review under the Investment. Hikvision, also known as Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co, has faced numerous sanctions and restrictions by Canada’s neighbor, the United States, over the past five and a half years for the firm’s dealings and the use of its equipment in China’s Xinjiang region, where rights groups have documented abuses against the Uyghur population and other Muslim communities.
“The government has determined that Hikvision Canada Inc’s continued operations in Canada would be injurious to Canada’s national security,” Joly said on X, adding that the decision was taken after a multi-step review of information provided by Canada’s security and intelligence community.
Her statement did not mention China or Xinjiang or specify how Hikvision would harm Canada’s national security.
Hikvision’s Canadian and U.S. operations, the parent company and China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The company, which calls itself the world’s biggest maker of video surveillance equipment, said last year it had exited contracts in Xinjiang through five subsidiaries that were added to a U.S. trade black list in 2023.
The Chinese government has denied all allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang and has criticized or targeted companies for removing Xinjiang firms from their supply chains.
Canada said last year it was reviewing an application to impose sanctions against Chinese surveillance equipment companies, including Hikvision, after rights advocates alleged the firms were aiding repression and high-tech surveillance in Xinjiang.
