Canadian Government Suspends Hikvision Operations in Canada
In June 2025 the Canadian Government ordered Chinese security system manufacturer Hikvision to cease operations in Canada. Hikvision has become one of the world’s largest manufacturers of security surveillance products while under the control of the Chinese Government. The use of Hikvision products in US Government agencies was banned in 2019 under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (see https://www.versatechsystems.com/knowledge-base/ndaa-compliance for further details).
Canadian Minister of Industry Melanie Joly announced on June 27/25 that “Following a National Security Review, the Government of Canada has ordered Hikvision Canada Inc. to cease all operations in Canada and close it’s Canadian business. The government has determined that Hikvision Canada Inc.'s continued operations in Canada would be injurious to Canada's national security. This determination is the result of a multi- step review that assessed information and evidence provided by Canada's security and intelligence community”.
She further stated that, “the Government of Canada is prohibiting the purchase or use of Hikvision products in government departments, agencies, and crown corporations. The Government of Canada is further conducting a review of existing properties to ensure that legacy Hikvision products are not used going forward”. She also encouraged all Canadians to take note of this decision and make their own decisions accordingly.
Versatech has never sold Hikvision products and has always advised our clients to avoid them. A decade ago, Hikvision became the world’s largest supplier of video surveillance products (including in Canada) by flooding the market with impossibly cheap camera products. They have long been accused of achieving this through Chinese Government subsidies and by using coercive labour practices to manufacturer their products.
In 2020 it was estimated by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute that at least 80,000 ethnic minority Uyghur people from Xinjiang province in China were transferred out of Xinjiang and assigned to factories in other areas, including those operated by Hikvision. This is particularly disturbing when you consider the UK Foreign Affairs Select Committee report stating that Hikvision cameras "have been deployed throughout Xinjiang, and provide the primary camera technology used in the internment camps", and the US Government’s assertion that Hikvision cameras are used for the surveillance of Uyghurs in Xinjiang and of other ethnic and religious minorities in China.