Commons committee to question ministers on RCMP contract with China-linked company

A House of Commons committee will look for answers from two government ministers regarding an RCMP contract with a company linked to the Chinese government, and why the company's purchase in 2017was not subject to a national security review.

Radio-Canada reported last week on a contract between the Mounties and Sinclair Technologies for radio frequency filtering equipment. WhileSinclair is based in Ontario,its parent companyNorsat International was acquired by the Chinese telecommunications company Hyterain 2017.

The Chinese government owns around 10 per cent of Hytera through an investment fund. The United States governmentbanned thesale and import of Hyteraproducts earlier thisyearbecause ofnational security concerns.

The House of Commons standing committee on industry and technology voted Monday to summon Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, the minister responsible for the RCMP, to answer questions about the contract.

The RCMP suspended the contract on Thursdayand said it will review equipment that's already installed.

Rick Perkins, a Conservative member of Parliament on the committee, said the committee should find out why the contract was approved.

"The committee needs to examine why the RCMP, our senior law enforcement agency in Canada, was not advised by the minister of industry, the minister of public safetyand the minister of procurementto not utilizethese Communist Partyof China-controlled companies for their needs," he said.

While Industry Minister Franois-Philippe Champagne was not involved in the procurement contract, he is responsible for the Investment Canada Act.

Committee members expressed interest in asking Champagnewhy the government did not review Hytera's acquisition of Norsatunder the act.The lawauthorizes the minister of industry to order a review of an investment by a non-Canadian company if the minister has reason tobelieve theinvestmentthreatens Canadian national security.

"Why did this government not do a full security reviewand reject the takeover of a Canadians telecommunications companyby a state-owned enterprise of the government of China? This committee, and the public, needs to know that," Perkins said.

Sbastien Lemire, aBloc Qubcoismember of the committee, agreed that the committee should question the ministers.

"This is a rather complex situation that's making many of us uncomfortable," Lemire said of the RCMP contract.

"I think we all understand that we need to get to the bottom of this and understand what happened."

Committee members voted overwhelmingly to request that Mendicino and Champagne appear as soon as possible.

Both ministerssaid last weekthat the contract should be reviewed.

American ambassador pleased with Canadian response

In an interview withCBC Radio'sThe Houselast week, United States Ambassador to Canada David Cohen called the suspension of the contract "the right step."

"You can't ask for more definitive and more decisive action than what Canada took in reaction to that news," Cohen told host Catherine Cullen.

Cohen also praised the federal government's approach to Canada-China relations, outlined in its newIndo-Pacific Strategy. Cohen said the strategy, which includes a plan to address China's growing global power, puts Canada's policy on Beijingin alignment with that of the United States.

"I don't think anyone can question the firmness with which Canada has reacted to to the current China threat," Cohen said.

"Some people have called it a pivot, and I think that's fair, because I think Canada is not behaving toward China in the way in which it has historically behaved toward China."