The RCMP has suspended a procurement contract with a company that has links to China.
The office of Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino confirmed to CBC News that the RCMP has suspended a contract with Sinclair Technologies for radio frequency (RF) equipment. Sinclair's parent company, Norsat International, has been owned by Chinese telecommunications firm Hytera since 2017.
The Chinese government owns around 10 per cent of Hytera through an investment fund.
The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) blacklisted Hytera in 2021. The FCC says the company is one of several Chinese firms that pose "an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons."
Both Mendicino and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that the government would examine the contract.
Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) previously told Radio-Canada that security concerns and Sinclair's ownership were not taken into consideration during the bidding process. The contract, awarded on October 6, 2021, was worth $549,637.
CBC News has reached out to the RCMP for comment.
More to come ...
