I'm no expert, but generally speaking, this is something the Americans do all the time in the security field. They have a stronger view than Canada on what constitutes a sensitive location and the issue of human rights.
The problem with this type of legislation is that it's more about the rhetoric. What's really tough is the feasibility. As you know, when a Canadian business opens its doors in China, it becomes a Chinese business. It's therefore subject to Chinese law. Businesses are stuck between a rock and hard place. Of course, there may be sanctions from the United States or any other country that has this kind of policy. However, China may also reprimand these countries. It's often very hard for businesses to fully implement this kind of policy. I'm not saying they don't adhere in broad strokes, but like everywhere else, the devil's in the details.
My colleague said something that I totally agree with: It's very difficult to figure out what's public and what's private in China. Let's not forget that Jack Ma just happened to land in a detention centre for six months when he was still head of one of China's biggest companies. No one's heard from him since. Generally speaking, the private sector in China is very clearly subordinate to the Communist Party. In fact, that was one of President Xi Jinping's main thrusts when he took over the new fortunes amassed in recent years. They are reminded that in China, it's the Communist Party that calls the shots, not businesses.
There's still a very grey area. Foreign companies that set up in China are obviously subject to these demands like any other company, otherwise, all of a sudden, they have trouble getting permits and hooked up to electricity, and all sorts of things like that. Obviously, they're going to have a hard time.