Canada ‘absolutely’ eying proposed U.S. ban on China’s auto tech: Freeland

Canada is “absolutely” considering following a major proposal by the United States to ban Chinese automotive technology, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters Tuesday.

This comes after the White House announced Monday a proposal to ban Chinese software and hardware in connected vehicles on American roads due to national security concerns.

The move would mark the latest crackdown on China’s automotive industry by the Biden administration and would effectively bar all Chinese cars from entering the U.S. market.

It also raises questions about whether Canada will do the same, after matching America’s lead in slapping high tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and weighing further restrictions.

When asked if Canada was considering a similar move, Freeland said, “The short answer is: absolutely.”

“A longer answer is our government has made very clear that we take really seriously intentional Chinese overcapacity and we take very seriously the security threat from China,” she added. “That’s why we acted decisively in imposing tariffs on Chinese EVs, on Chinese steel, (and) on Chinese aluminum.

“We are very mindful of the environmental standards, the labour standards, or I really ought to say the lack of environmental standards, lack of labour standards that underpin that production.”

Freeland said the Canadian government also had security concerns with allowing Chinese software in connected vehicles,which one expert described to Global News earlier this year as “rolling spy vans.”

After Canada recently followed the U.S. in introducing a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles and a 25 per cent tariff on Chinese steel and aluminum, the government launched a consultation process to impose further tariffs on