Wireless carriers in Canada are not the only ones that are against the admission of Verizon into the local wireless market, as the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) union has also opposed the government rules that are favouring the US-based operator. However, now the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) union has taken a new step in this direction, as it “has now demanded Ottawa to investigate how Verizon could affect the national security based on one small part of the Canada Investment Act, which calls on the Industry Minister to evaluate and review any potential national security concerns when a foreign company enter Canada,” according to iPhoneinCanada.
The President of CEP, Dave Coles has said that, “Canadians need to know that their government is reviewing Verizon’s potential threat to national security, and what steps the U.S. company will have to take to mitigate any concerns. In their bid to woo Verizon, we hope the Harper government isn’t ignoring its responsibility to do a security review.”
In addition to this, the CEP has also revealed how Verizon was found involved in the National Security Agency’s (NSA) PRISM program and also mentioned that the US-based operator has some “close” ties with the U.S. military. Raising another scenario, the CEP asked what happen if the Verizon is asked to provide the data of Canadians under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and U.S. Patriot Act.
The CEP also revealed on this occasion that boycotting Verizon is not solution of this problem, as Canadians are not going to be safe once the U.S.-based operator starts its operations in Canada because it will use share incumbent networks:
“Canadians who boycott Verizon out of fear that their personal information could be delivered to U.S. authorities will not necessarily be able to sleep easy either,” says Coles. “The government’s mandatory access rule gives Verizon the right to use the major Canadian telecom companies’ wireless networks, which currently carry some of the country’s most secure and private communications.”
Therefore, the President of CEP has called on Canada’s Minister of Industry to take some swift action before it gets too late and the national security of the company gets compromised. Similar sort of concerns have also been raised by the local incumbents over the admission of Verizon in Canada, as they also fear that it can compromise the privacy of Canadians. Let’s see now how Ottawa will respond to these concerns.
Source: iPhoneinCanada
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