National security 'comes first' on Huawei 5G review: infrastructure minister

Infrastructure Minister Franois-Philippe Champagne says national security must come first in deciding whether to allow Huawei Technologies to take part in developing Canada's 5G telecommunications network.

In an interview, Champagne said Canada needs to be prudent and rely on the input of its intelligence services before ruling on whether the Chinese firm should be involved in the next-generation mobile network.

Former security officials in Canada and two members of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence have warned that Huawei's participation could compromise the security of Canada and its closest allies.

Huawei stresses it is not a state-controlled company and denies engaging in intelligence work on behalf of any government.

Champagne says listening to allies is part of the review process, but he has full faith in Canada's intelligence officials to provide the best advice to government.

He isn't discussing a timeline for the ruling, noting the process is too important to rush and cut corners.