China’s Record on Cyberhacking a Key Concern for Canada, Says Former Defence Minister Peter MacKay

As Ottawa pursues closer relations with Beijing, MacKay warns about security, economy

Then-Canadian defence minister Peter MacKay talks to his Belgian counterpart Pieter De Crem during a North Atlantic Council meeting of Ministers of Defence and ISAF partners at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Feb. 22, 2013. Thierry Charlier/AFP/Getty Images

When it comes to Canada’s relationship with Beijing, national security should be of the utmost concern, warns former defence minister Peter MacKay.

“I’m not comfortable in many ways in having the Chinese more and more integrated into our technology system,” said MacKay, who served as minister of justice, minister of defence, and minister of foreign affairs during Stephen Harper’s Conservative government.