Canadian court halts TikTok Canada office closure

Ottawa: A Canadian federal court on Wednesday overturned a 2024 government order that sought to close TikTok’s offices in the country, a move Ottawa had announced following a national security review. While Canadians were never banned from using the app, the industry ministry had ordered the shutdown of TikTok Technology Canada’s offices in Toronto and Vancouver, a subsidiary of China-based ByteDance.

TikTok challenged the closure in court and secured a temporary victory. The court also directed the ministry to conduct a further security review before taking any additional steps.

TikTok Canada spokesperson Danielle Morgan said the ruling provides “a path forward that continues to support millions of dollars of investment in Canada and hundreds of local jobs.” She added that the company looks forward to working with Industry Minister Melanie Joly to find a resolution “in the best interest of the more than 14 million Canadians using TikTok.”

Ottawa had originally justified the 2024 closure order as necessary to address “specific national security risks,” citing concerns shared by several Western governments that TikTok could allow Beijing to collect data on users. Canada had previously banned TikTok on all government devices in 2023, though personal use remained legal.

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In December 2025, TikTok signed a joint venture deal with investors in the U.S., enabling the company to continue operations there despite scrutiny over its Chinese ownership.