The Canadian government has ordered Chinese surveillance technology manufacturer Hikvision to cease operations in the country, citing national security concerns, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly announced late Friday.
The move comes after a comprehensive review involving Canadian security and intelligence agencies. “The government has determined that Hikvision Canada Inc’s continued operations in Canada would be injurious to Canada’s national security,” Joly stated on X (formerly Twitter).
While the statement did not explicitly mention China or the Xinjiang region, Hikvision — also known as Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co — has been under increasing scrutiny in the West. The U.S. has sanctioned the company over its alleged involvement in human rights abuses in Xinjiang, where rights groups say China has targeted Uyghur Muslims and other minority communities through mass surveillance and internment.
A Hikvision spokesperson expressed strong disagreement with Canada’s decision, calling it lacking in “factual basis, procedural fairness, and transparency.” The company argued the ban was driven by geopolitical bias rather than an objective assessment of its technology.
China’s foreign ministry has not yet responded to the development.
Hikvision, which describes itself as the world’s largest manufacturer of video surveillance equipment, said it ended its contracts in Xinjiang last year through five subsidiaries that were added to a U.S. trade blacklist in 2023.
In addition to the shutdown order, Canada will ban the purchase of Hikvision equipment by federal departments and agencies and will review existing installations to ensure future compliance. The ban does not extend to Hikvision’s operations outside of Canada, but Joly urged Canadian businesses and consumers to take the government’s findings into account when making decisions.
