The decision to ban Huawei from deploying 5G should be an easy one for the government. Our closest allies in the Five Eyes have all banned Huawei from their networks. We are the only ones who have not. Next door, the U.S., our most important trading partner and military ally, banned Huawei for national defence and security reasons, yet the Liberals are holding out as if they are buying time.
First, they were going to decide before the election, and then it was after the election. Over a year has gone by, and there is still no decision, but we have seen their delaying tactics before. If the Liberals do not want to take responsibility or stand up for something, they choose death by delay: energy projects, the Teck Frontier mine and illegal train blockades that held industry hostage are examples.
If the Liberals hope to deal with the Chinese government by using a weak tactic that causes suffering here at home, they need a reality check. This ruthless regime has a long record of breaching security and stealing intellectual property, and that was before 5G. The Prime Minister needs to stop wasting time, take a firm stance and say no to Huawei.