François-Philippe Champagne, the Industry Minister, revealed from a teleconference in Italy that this scrutiny has been underway since September 2023, as per the Investment Canada Act.

Champagne indicated that the government would announce its decisions following the review's completion, though he did not provide a timeline.

He referenced a policy from March 2023 stating that foreign investments in Canada's digital media sector would be closely examined, especially if they threatened national security through misinformation or manipulation.

The review in Canada is independent of a US bill that, if passed, could potentially force TikTok's Chinese owners to divest or face a ban in the US due to concerns over Chinese intelligence laws. TikTok, owned by ByteDance Ltd., is also being closely observed by Canadian authorities amidst the legislative debate in the US.

The Canadian government has already prohibited TikTok on federal government devices as of February 2023.