RCMP scraps tech contract worth $550K with firm tied to China after outcry – National | 24CA News
The RCMP is suspending a radio communications contract with an Ontario-based firm that has ties to China amid issues of overseas interference, in response to Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino’s parliamentary secretary.
Pam Damoff stated throughout query interval within the House of Commons Thursday that the RCMP has suspended an Oct. 2021 contract with Sinclair Technologies, which designs and manufactures communications merchandise for radio frequency gear.
“The RCMP have confirmed that the contract with Sinclair Technologies has been suspended and that they’re conducting further reviews to ensure that the integrity of our infrastructure is in place,” Damoff stated.
Global News reached out to RCMP individually Thursday for affirmation however has but to listen to again.
Public Services and Procurement Minister Helena Jaczek additionally stated throughout query interval that her ministry will “look very closely” at its procedures for awarding contracts “with the greatest intensity to ensure (the) security of our infrastructure.”
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Protecting the RCMP’s land-based radio communications from eavesdropping was one of many system’s functions. The $549,637 contract was legitimate till March 31, 2024.
Sinclair’s mother or father firm, Norsat International, was bought by Hytera Communications in 2017. The Chinese authorities owns about 10 per cent of Hytera by way of an funding fund, Radio-Canada reported on Dec. 7. That agency is blacklisted over nationwide safety issues by the United States Federal Communications Commission.
Hytera faces 21 fees associated to espionage within the United States for allegedly stealing expertise from Motorola Solutions. The firm was charged in February. It was blacklisted in 2021 alongside ZTE and Huawei. Those two corporations had been banned from taking part within the improvement of the Canada’s 5G telecommunications community in May.
The RCMP instructed Global News in a press release Wednesday that radio frequency filtration gear “poses no security concerns nor does it allow access to radio communications.” PSPC instructed Radio-Canada it didn’t take safety issues and Sinclair’s possession into consideration in the course of the bidding course of.
That revelation drew criticism in Ottawa, and a promised overview by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose authorities not too long ago unveiled a coverage reset on how Canada handles funding, co-operation, competitors and strategic challenges posed by China.
Sinclair Technologies has been awarded 24 authorities contracts by Public Service and Procurement Canada (PSPC) since 2009. Sinclair has performed work for the RCMP, the Department of National Defence (DND) and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
The majority of the 11 RCMP contracts awarded to Sinclair over time had been for “antennas, waveguides and related equipment.” Two contracts got for “radio and television communications equipment, except airborne.” While some RCMP contracts haven’t any worth related to them, one contract that was awarded in 2013 and expired in 2018 was value $1.5 million.
Sinclair was awarded a contract for Fisheries and Ocean in 2019 to do structural and prefabricated work. The contract was value $93,020 and expired in 2020.
Meanwhile, Sinclair was given 12 contracts value a complete of $252,296 for work between 2009 and 2013. National Defence headquarters, Maritime Forces Atlantic, Canadian Special Operations Forces Command headquarters and CFB Esquimalt had been listed as the first finish customers.
A division official instructed Global News the contracts gave the impression to be primarily for antenna gadgets that amplify and obtain however don’t transmit data. DND has launched an investigation into the contracts.
“We are aware of the concerns surrounding Sinclair Technologies. We are investigating these procurements and the way in which this equipment is used, alongside counterparts in other government departments,” a DND spokesperson stated Thursday.
“The government will take all measures necessary to ensure the security of our infrastructure.”
— with information from The Associated Press
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
