The House of Commons committee has agreed to investigate Canada’s security screening procedures following the arrest of a Canadian NATO intern by Belgian authorities on espionage charges. This decision was made after the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois requested an emergency committee meeting to look into the spying allegations against the intern.
During the public safety and national security committee meeting, Members of Parliament from different parties agreed to prioritize meeting three times to delve into the issue once Parliament reconvenes in September. The committee plans to summon Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree as a witness and any other relevant individuals. Subsequently, the committee will present its findings and recommendations to the House.
Although the identity of the defendant in the Belgian criminal investigation is usually not disclosed, a CBC News investigation revealed that the accused spy is Biwei Zhang, a systems engineer with an economics background who was interning at NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium.
Biwei Zhang is known to legally use the name Claire Zhang professionally and Catina Zhang on her Facebook profile. Belgian authorities suspect her of spying for a foreign country and being associated with a criminal organization.
The allegations against Zhang have raised concerns about Canada’s security screening processes. Conservative public safety critic Frank Caputo has urged for parliamentary scrutiny into how an individual accused of espionage managed to secure an internship within a crucial military alliance of Canada.
The NATO internship that Zhang held required a rigorous security clearance, which Canadian authorities like the RCMP and CSIS would have been responsible for conducting, considering her Canadian nationality.
Following the arrest of the alleged spy by Belgian officials, Canada’s public safety minister has promised to investigate the matter thoroughly, acknowledging the severity of the charges. Prime Minister Mark Carney mentioned that Canadian officials have been actively involved in the case from the beginning.
CBC News investigations have revealed that Zhang previously worked in various government departments in Canada, including as an economist at Statistics Canada and a systems engineer at the Canadian Space Agency. In 2023, she was found to have committed fraud by applying for a position at the Canada Border Services Agency under multiple identities, leading to a judicial review in 2024, which dismissed her application.
Furthermore, Zhang has held positions at the World Trade Organization in Geneva, the European Space Agency in Italy, and recently completed a master’s degree in computer science specializing in artificial intelligence from the University of Ottawa. Prior to her arrest on charges of espionage and involvement in criminal activities, her residence and workplace at SHAPE were searched by Belgian authorities.