Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs) have started to arrive in Canada amid concerns about how the imports could affect national security.
More than 2,900 Chinese EVs entered Canada in May, data from Global Affairs Canada shows. This is the first month Canada has received EV imports from China.
These are the first vehicles to arrive since Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed to let in Chinese EVs under a reduced tariff rate. Canada imposed a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese EVs in 2024. But following a trade trip to China in January, Carney is now allowing up to 49,000 EVs per year into Canada with a tariff rate of 6.1 per cent in exchange for lower tariffs on Canadian agricultural products.
A federal government memo obtained through the Access to Information Act and first reported on by The Canadian Press urges Canadians to be cautious about the privacy risks of digital devices they buy and use.
The memo states that data connected to vehicle systems could be used to “establish patterns of life or conduct surveillance on sensitive sites.”
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“The risk that Canadian data collected by connected vehicles are accessed and exploited increases when these data are sent to — or transit through — foreign jurisdictions with more permissive data management frameworks,” it states.
“The Chinese government has shown their intention to try to use any technology that they can to advance their own goals,” Neil Bisson, a former intelligence officer, told Global News. “And that would include using Chinese EVs to collect data that they could be compelled back in China to use for whatever purposes they feel.”
While the memo states that there is an increasing threat of malicious actors targeting digital devices, Bisson said there is growing apathy towards Canadians’ own personal information being collected. He said this can become concerning when the technology is in the hands of an adversary.
In 2017, the Chinese government passed its National Intelligence Law, which requires any Chinese companies to comply with state orders to hand over any information.
“Essentially what that means is that if the Ministry of State Security decides that it would further their own goals for the Chinese Communist Party, they could simply go to whatever manufacturer … and say you’re giving us this information that you collected,” he said.
The federal government memo also expresses concern when other devices, such as mobile phones, networking equipment and cameras, are connected to the vehicle.
With the agreement between Canada and China reached, Bisson said the only stopgap is for consumers to make their own choices at the dealership. But he said he fears many Canadians are not fully aware of the potential dangers.
“There’s been a bit of an underlying lack of talking about the issues surrounding this technology and how it could be used against Canadian interests,” he said.
With the imported vehicles priced lower than domestically built EVs, Bisson said they may be more attractive to consumers.
“A lot of Canadians are, at the end of the day, more concerned about whether or not they’re going to be able to afford something than if a foreign adversary might be using the technology that they’re buying against them,” he said.
Proponents of Carney’s new relationship with China have also argued that allowing Chinese-made EVs provides more market choice for consumers.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.