Last month, the United States' national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, spoke to reporters in Nova Scotia. At that time, Mr. Sullivan said the U.S. sees “two distinct challenges” connected with Chinese EVs.

The first one, he said, is this: “Massive subsidies going into the Chinese electric vehicle industry have eliminated a level playing field and so part of the economic response the U.S. has taken is responding to that.” Second, he said that there are “issues associated with data security, with critical infrastructure, and with the underlying questions of national security associated with connected vehicles, electric vehicles”.

Now, China sells its EVs cheaply because it considers the geostrategic benefits. China has no private sector commercial enterprises as we understand them here in Canada. Chinese corporations are required by law to support state intelligence services, including sharing proprietary information about foreign partners and customers. The Chinese authorities can order Chinese EV manufacturers to incorporate spyware into their products and then sell them to western markets at prices below production costs because of Chinese government subsidies.

Two years ago, Canadian authorities banned Huawei from accessing key Canadian infrastructure in 5G networks because of the security risk posed by the Chinese tech giant.

In 2020, Global Affairs Canada terminated a contract between NucTech, a Chinese state-owned enterprise, and Global Affairs to install security X-ray scanners in Canada's embassies around the globe, for similar security concerns.

Several years ago, U.S. legislators moved to ban the purchase of China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation subway cars because of technology in the cars that could allow for remote monitoring, secret recording of conversations, surveillance of individuals and even threatening passenger safety by manipulating the opening and closing of railcar doors from Nanjing in China.

I'd like to focus my remarks on Mr. Sullivan's second point: that there are issues associated with data security, with critical infrastructure and with the underlying questions of national security associated with electric vehicles.

If the real intent of a 100% tariff is to ban the import of Chinese EVs into Canada, then we should do this, because Chinese EVs are potential spy machines on wheels, accumulating data about drivers on where they go and when. Their many cameras and sensors and GPS can camouflage spyware and malware.

These EVs can have sensors loaded onto them that collect data every second, not just about the car and its occupants but about the licence plates around it, or people on streets through facial recognition apps. Advanced apps can process this data in near real time, giving intelligence services instant situational knowledge of who goes where and when. China already knows this. China bans the U.S.-based Teslas from using roads near Chinese government or military facilities.

In testimony to the U.S. Congress earlier this year, FBI Director Christopher Wray warned, and I quote: “China's hackers are positioning on American infrastructure in preparation to wreak havoc and cause real-world harm to American citizens and communities, if and when China decides the time has come to strike.”

Chinese EVs are part and parcel of this kind of endeavour.

Without firing a shot, Beijing could coordinate a massive attack on our domestic stability. It could easily overwhelm the ability of the Communications Security Establishment to monitor malign backdoor capabilities slipped into software updates on Chinese equipment. They can extend to millions of lines of code.

There is a sobering realization of the role Chinese technology could play in kinetic conflict. Bridges being blown up in far-off lands will not characterize future wars. Technology, including software embedded in cars around the world, can be used to sabotage everything from communications to transportation, health care and food supply chains.

My judgment is that the potential security threat trumps all of the other factors in our consideration of Chinese EVs. Just as we've banned Huawei telecommunications technologies from Canadian infrastructure, on the same basis we should ban all import of Chinese electric vehicles.

Thank you, Madam Chair.