OTTAWA, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) — A Canadian professor testified before a House of Commons committee that Canada must do more to mandate the full disclosure of how Chinese companies interact and embed themselves in many of the nation’s universities, saying basic partnerships they have with the schools are just the “tip of the iceberg.”  

According to Blacklock’s Reporter, James Hinton, who is an associate professor at Western University and a senior fellow with the Centre for International Governance Innovation of Waterloo, Ontario, told the House’s Science Committee on Tuesday that “We need to stop these terrible deals (with China).”

“End them now,” he said.  

Hinton said to MPs on the committee that Canada needs to “know who is working with Canadian research institutions and how much they have been benefiting.” 

“We really don’t know,” he added.  

Hinton listed off a litany of Canadian universities that have had dealings with the Chinese government-backed telecommunications giant Huawei. 

“I am naming these names so there is no longer a veil of secrecy in these deals,” he said, adding, “This is just the tip of the iceberg.” 

Hinton noted how Huawei has partnered with over 20 of Canada’s top research institutions.  

“Huawei has received intellectual property from the University of Waterloo, the University of Toronto, McGill University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Calgary, the University of Ottawa, the University of Laval,” he said.  

He then went on to name the University of Regina, as well as McMaster University, Western University and Carleton University, as having been in partnerships with Huawei. 

Hinton said that there has been “[s]ignificant public funding, millions of dollars and resources, are being used,” with these institutions.  

“Hundreds of patents have been generated for Huawei through these deals,” he noted, saying also, “The commercial rights go to Huawei, and they can use this technology in any manner they want.” 

Tensions between China and Canada have been running at all-time highs since the 2019 arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the CFO of Huawei. 

Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, or the “two Canadian Michaels,” were imprisoned in a Chinese jail for months by the Chinese government in what most regarded as a retaliatory measure for Canada’s arrest of Wanzhou. All three were released in 2021 to their homelands. 

As part of the Huawei scandal, Canada banned the company from the nation’s telecommunications systems over security concerns. 

China using university partnerships to ‘advance’ its agenda, says professor  

At Tuesday’s science committee hearing, Conservative MP Dan Mazier said that “Some researchers have claimed scrutinizing national security threats of research funding is a threat to academic freedom.” 

He asked Hinton, “What do you say to this argument?” 

Hinton replied that as he teaches at the school, he knows “academic freedom well,” noting that partnerships with Chinese companies are a “risky” thing to do, “whether academics like to admit it or not.” 

“Whether we protect our research or not, countries are using it to advance their national agendas,” he added.  

Mazier asked him what happens when “foreign actors use our technology and intellectual property to put our national security at risk?” noting that these “institutions have been compromised.” 

Hinton replied by saying, “It is clear universities are not able to govern themselves.” 

The potential interference by foreign agents has many Canadians concerned, especially considering Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s past praise for China’s “basic dictatorship” and his labeling of the dictatorial nation as his favorite country other than his own. 

Besides partnerships with universities, the recent meddling in Canada’s elections by agents of the Communist Chinese Party (CCP) have many Canadians and conservative politicians worried. 

In March, one of Trudeau’s own MPs, Han Dong, resigned from the Liberal Party after a news report broke alleging that he had asked a Chinese diplomat in February 2021 to delay the release of the “two Michaels” held captive by the Communist Chinese regime. 

Over a month ago, Conservative MP Michael Chong disclosed that he has been personally threatened multiple times by what he believes are agents of Communist China and said he had to call the police due to safety concerns.