cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5917769

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Canada’s federal police are scaling back the use of Chinese-made drones over security concerns, creating an opening for Taiwan’s firms to supply key systems and components.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) operates 1,230 drones, of which 973 — about 80% of the fleet — are made in China. They are now classed as high-risk devices restricted to non-sensitive tasks such as missing-person searches and community policing, rather than border security or joint work with US agencies.

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RCMP documents suggest Chinese drones were originally chosen because they were cheaper, with non-Chinese models costing roughly twice as much at about NT$790,000 (CA$35,000) each. A Canadian academic quoted in the filings warned that any connected device can expose users to security vulnerabilities.

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The same documents note that the police force’s non-Chinese drones currently come from France, the US, and Belgium, and that Canada has no domestic drone maker to fill the gap. A security scholar at the Centre for International Governance Innovation urged federal agencies to look beyond price and give priority to “Made in Canada” platforms when possible.

Vancouver Taiwan Trade Center Director Chiu Shih-min (邱仕敏) said other Canadian departments are likely to move away from Chinese drones and seek trusted suppliers. He argued Taiwan is well placed, citing its strengths in airframe design, control stations, and communications. Chiu floated a model in which Taiwanese-made systems are shipped to Canada for final assembly to qualify as locally made.

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