I’m Jesse Snyder, filling in for Anita, who’s on assignment this week. 

If the signals coming from Ottawa are any guide, Canada could ban Chinese and Russian-made “smartcar” tech from Canada’s automotive supply chain relatively soon. 

But industry sources say the real-world implications of such a policy will be far more drawn-out and difficult.

On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland confirmed that Canada is “absolutely” taking steps to match the Biden administration’s proposed clampdown on Chinese and Russian-made automotive tech. 

The U.S. prohibition will ban imports of the components that enable features like autonomous and assisted driving. U.S. officials say software and hardware manufactured by “countries of concern”—specifically, China and Russia—are susceptible to espionage, and therefore pose a national security risk.