A 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.
The decision to conduct an inquiry came after the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois called for an emergency committee meeting to look into the spying accusations against the intern. During a meeting of the public safety and national security committee, Members of Parliament from different parties agreed to prioritize three sessions to delve into the matter when Parliament resumes in September.
The committee plans to summon Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree and any other necessary witnesses to provide testimony. Subsequently, it will present its findings and recommendations to the House.
Although Belgian courts do not disclose the names of defendants in criminal cases before trial, 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.
The investigation discovered that Biwei Zhang is the legal name of the suspect, who professionally goes by Claire Zhang and uses the name Catina Zhang on her Facebook profile. Belgian authorities suspect Zhang of espionage for a foreign state and involvement in a criminal group.
The security screening process in Canada has come under scrutiny following the allegations against Zhang. Conservative public safety critic Frank Caputo urged for parliamentary review, raising concerns about how an individual accused of espionage could secure an internship in a critical military alliance. Caputo emphasized the need to examine the security screening, information-sharing, and monitoring mechanisms in place at the time of Zhang’s internship.
The NATO internship obtained by Zhang required a thorough security clearance, which Canadian authorities, including the RCMP and CSIS, would have been responsible for conducting due to her Canadian citizenship.
After the arrest of the alleged spy by Belgian authorities, Canada’s public safety minister pledged to investigate the matter thoroughly, acknowledging the severity of the charges. Prime Minister Mark Carney echoed the commitment, stating that Canadian officials have been actively involved in the case from the beginning.
CBC News investigations revealed that Zhang had held positions in various Canadian government departments. Her resume indicated past roles as an economist at Statistics Canada and a systems engineer at the Canadian Space Agency. In a separate incident in 2023, Zhang was found to have committed fraud by applying for a position at the Canada Border Services Agency under different identities, leading to a judicial review that dismissed her plea in 2024.
Apart from her Canadian roles, Zhang had worked 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 on charges of espionage and association with a criminal organization, Belgian authorities conducted searches at Zhang’s residence and workplace at SHAPE, according to a statement from the Federal Prosecutor’s Office.