CANADA BANS CHINA’S HUAWEI ZTE FROM 5G NETWORK

The federal government is banning Huawei and ZTE from Canada’s 5G network, federal ministers announced Thursday.

The Liberal cabinet has been hinting for months that a decision was imminent.

Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino made the announcement Thursday at a late afternoon news conference.

They'll also have to remove or terminate any existing 4G equipment provided by the companies by December 31, 2027. The policy statement says the government expects companies to stop purchasing new 4G or 5G equipment from the companies by September.

Chinese government officials have warned Canada not to ban the company and suggested there would be consequences to such a decision.