Canada-China Relations committee  Mr. Chairman, China is a reality. It is a major economic power in the world. It is likely that Canada will have to deal with China on some level. Just as the Americans have now indicated that they will deal with China on climate change, we will likely have to deal with China on c

Canada-China Relations committee  I think we have to be very careful about how we.... Yes, I think we should be selective—that is, from a strategic point of view—but the reality for Canada even today is that a lot of canola farmers would like to sell their canola to China and a lot of pork farmers would like to s

Canada-China Relations committee  The issue of 5G and Huawei is not simply an issue of Huawei. The reality of the new 5G system is that it is potentially attackable by a wide variety of intelligence agencies and others around the world. If Huawei is not part of the system, it does not mean that there is no potent

Canada-China Relations committee  No. My understanding of the law is that it would not prevent Canada from preventing such an acquisition from being made. Obviously, on the issue of the nature of the mineral product, if it is rare earths, for example, it would obviously be of much more concern than if it is some

Canada-China Relations committee  I think that is something, frankly, on which we should proceed very carefully. The reality is that there are risks to some acquisitions and some takeovers, but not necessarily all of them. I, for example, have—

Canada-China Relations committee  Mr. Chair, I can't answer that question. I don't sit in government councils anymore, so I don't know precisely why the government has not taken action. I suspect that it is certainly conceivable that the detention of the two Michaels in China would have an impact on their decisio

Canada-China Relations committee  I would be extremely surprised if the decision were to be yes; in other words, I think the decision is no.

Canada-China Relations committee  It is very hard for me to conceive of a situation in which the Government of Canada will decide to proceed with allowing Huawei to operate in Canada, given all of the circumstances. Frankly, I don't think that is likely to happen. Does that mean a decision has been taken? I obvio

Canada-China Relations committee  That's not entirely clear. The challenges for Canada in dealing with China, particularly during the previous American administration, were huge. Those challenges were only made worse by the issues around Huawei, and then by the Chinese taking Mr. Spavor and Mr. Kovrig hostage. Th

Canada-China Relations committee  It's easier to have a strong position when we have the partnerships. When we are completely exposed, the challenges are considerably greater. As I was saying a second ago, given the current American position, it is beginning to become clear that there is an opening to a partnersh

Canada-China Relations committee  I'm not quite sure which communications you're referring to. If you're referring to the information at the facility in Beijing that processes visas, I think the issue there is on the ground in China.

Canada-China Relations committee  Yes, it is possible. Encryption and computers and other things have advanced in the same time period, so it is possible. To take the Huawei case, for example, whether or not one would want to build one's system with Huawei equipment might be a more difficult question, because t

Canada-China Relations committee  No, it's not. It is not unusual for other countries to collect intelligence. China is not the only country in the world that collects intelligence. Canada does too.

Canada-China Relations committee  The service does operate outside of Canada, yes.

Canada-China Relations committee  I would prefer to see a decision taken, but I would also prefer to see Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig back in Canada. I suspect that's not going to happen for a while either. I'm not sure the fact that the government has not yet taken a decision is enormously troubling at this