A parliamentary committee in the House of Commons has agreed to investigate the security screening procedures in Canada following the arrest of a Canadian NATO intern by Belgian authorities on espionage charges. This decision was made after the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois called for an urgent committee meeting to look into the spying allegations against the intern.
During a meeting of the public safety and national security committee on Monday, Members of Parliament from different parties agreed to prioritize holding three sessions to delve into the matter when Parliament reconvenes in September. The committee plans to summon Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree as a witness and may call upon other necessary witnesses. The findings and recommendations will then be reported to the House.
Although the identity of the defendant in the Belgian criminal investigation is not publicly disclosed, a CBC News investigation revealed the intern in question as Biwei Zhang. Zhang, a systems engineer with an economics background, was interning at NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium.
It was discovered that Biwei Zhang is the legal name of the suspect, who professionally goes by Claire Zhang and uses Catina Zhang on her Facebook profile. Belgian authorities suspect Zhang of espionage on behalf of a foreign country and allege her involvement in a criminal organization.
The security clearance for the NATO internship obtained by Zhang involved a thorough background check, which Canadian authorities, specifically the RCMP and CSIS, would have conducted due to her Canadian nationality.
Conservative public safety critic Frank Caputo raised concerns about the security screening processes in Canada in light of the allegations against Zhang. He emphasized the need for parliamentary scrutiny to address how an individual accused of spying managed to secure an internship within a significant military alliance like NATO and questioned the effectiveness of the security screening, information-sharing, and monitoring mechanisms in place at the time.
Following the arrest of the alleged spy by Belgian authorities, Canada’s public safety minister assured a thorough investigation into the matter, acknowledging the gravity of the charges. Prime Minister Mark Carney mentioned that Canadian officials have been actively involved in the case.
CBC News also uncovered Zhang’s employment history within various Canadian government departments, including roles as an economist at Statistics Canada and a systems engineer at the Canadian Space Agency. In addition, Zhang had previous positions at the World Trade Organization in Geneva and the European Space Agency in Italy. She recently completed a master’s degree in computer science specializing in artificial intelligence from the University of Ottawa.
The day before the arrest of the suspect on espionage and criminal organization charges, Belgian authorities conducted searches at Zhang’s residence and workplace at SHAPE, according to a statement from the country’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office.