By The Canadian Press

Chinese surveillance equipment company appeals Ottawa’s shutdown order

Jul 7, 2025 | 12:37 PM

OTTAWA — A Chinese maker of surveillance camera systems is appealing a federal government directive ordering it to shutter its Canadian operations due to national security concerns.

Hikvision said in a media statement it is asking for judicial review of a June 27 federal government order stating that the company must close down its Canadian operations.

It’s also asking the Federal Court to put the shutdown order on hold until the court decides on the judicial review.

The federal government made its decision following a national security review under the Investment Canada Act.

“Since entering the Canadian market, we have followed all applicable laws and regulations, and will continue to defend our position that Hikvision products and technology have not endangered the national security of Canada or any other country in which we operate,” the company said in its statement.

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“We expect the legitimate rights and interests of all investors and businesses operating in the country to be fully respected and protected by its judicial system.”

Hikvision said it will continue operating normally for the time being, following an “agreement” with the attorney general.

The company describes itself as the world’s largest manufacturer of surveillance equipment. It has had a Canadian subsidiary since 2014.

Following the June 27 order, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said in an online post that the government looked at information and evidence provided by Canada’s security and intelligence community.

Hikvision has also faced sanctions in the U.S., Australia and the U.K.

Some of those sanctions are due to claims that Hikvision supplied China with surveillance cameras used in the Xinjiang region, where the Uyghur population has faced human rights abuses.

That led Best Buy, Home Depot and Lowes to stop selling Hikvision products, according to a report by the U.S.-based tech outlet TechCrunch in 2021.

The three companies did not immediately respond to questions from The Canadian Press about whether they still sell Hikvision products.

China has taken aim at Canada over the shutdown directive.

“This seriously undermines the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and disrupts and hurts the normal economic and trade cooperation between China and Canada. China strongly deplores and firmly opposes this,” a Chinese embassy spokesperson said in a June 28 statement.

The statement urged Canada to “change course immediately, stop abusing national security and politicizing economic and trade issues.”

— With files from Tara Deschamps

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2025.

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press