TikTok CEO Shou Chew is requesting an urgent meeting with Canadian Industry Minister Mélanie Joly regarding the government’s order to dissolve the company’s operations in the country. In a July 2 letter obtained by The Canadian Press, Chew asks for an in-person meeting within two weeks, stating that the “wind-up process is rapidly approaching a critical juncture.”

The request comes after Ottawa ordered TikTok to shut down its Canadian business in November 2024 following a national security review of Chinese parent company ByteDance Ltd. While the directive requires TikTok to cease operations in Canada, the app will remain available to its 14 million Canadian users.

TikTok filed an application for judicial review with the Federal Court in Vancouver on December 5, 2024, arguing that the government’s decision was “unreasonable” and “driven by improper purposes.” The company contends the measures ordered “bear no rational connection to the national security risks” identified by the government.

In his letter, Chew states that “no evidence has been presented to show that TikTok is a security threat to Canada,” adding that the government has not engaged in discussions about potential solutions.

Alternative Solutions

Without intervention, TikTok will soon terminate more than 350 Canadian employees, halt direct investment in Canada, and cut support for Canadian creators. The company has already begun withdrawing sponsorships from Canadian arts institutions, including the Juno Awards and Toronto International Film Festival.

Chew has proposed alternative measures, including enhanced data security protocols and additional transparency and oversight measures, to address the government’s concerns. He argues that maintaining TikTok’s Canadian presence ensures “a local team who is accountable to Canadian policy-makers and authorities.”

The CEO contends the order was issued “under a different government and in a different era,” noting it appeared based on “assumptions about TikTok’s future in the United States, which no longer hold true.” In June, U.S. President Donald Trump extended the deadline to ban TikTok for a third time.

When announcing the decision in November, then-Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne cited “specific national security risks” without providing details. Security concerns have centered on Chinese laws that potentially compel organizations to assist with intelligence gathering.