Senator to Reintroduce Bill Requiring National Security Review for All Proposed Investments in Canada by Foreign SOEs

An Aecon employee at the Toronto Pearson International Airport. The Canadian government blocked the takeover of Aecon Group Inc. by a Chinese state-owned company in May 2018 following an extensive national security review. Canadian Press/AP, Tobin Grimshaw

OTTAWA—Just as Canada’s spy agency is raising security concerns over attempted takeovers of Canadian critical infrastructure by foreign state-owned enterprises, a Senate bill seeking to address this exact issue will end up dying with the rise of the Senate ahead of the fall election.

“A number of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and private firms with close ties to their government and/or intelligence services have pursued corporate acquisition bids in Canada, raising national security concerns,” reads the 2018 public report by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) published June 21.