A parliamentary committee in the House of Commons has agreed to review Canada’s security screening procedures following the arrest of a Canadian NATO intern by Belgian authorities on espionage charges.
The decision was made after the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois called for an urgent committee meeting to investigate the spying accusations against the intern. During a meeting of the public safety and national security committee on Monday, Members of Parliament from various parties agreed to prioritize holding three sessions to delve into the matter upon Parliament’s return in September.
The committee plans to summon Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree as a witness and may call upon other relevant individuals to provide testimony. Subsequently, the committee will present its findings and recommendations to the House.
Although the Belgian courts have not publicly disclosed the identity of the defendant in the criminal investigation, a CBC News inquiry revealed that the accused spy is Biwei Zhang, a systems engineer with an economic background who was interning at NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium.
It was determined during the investigation that Biwei Zhang is the suspect’s legal name, while she goes by Claire Zhang professionally and Catina Zhang on her Facebook profile. Belgian authorities suspect Zhang of espionage activities on behalf of a foreign nation and allege her involvement with a criminal group.
The security clearance for the NATO internship obtained by Zhang involved a thorough background check, which would have been conducted by Canadian authorities, specifically the RCMP and CSIS, since she is a Canadian citizen.
Following the arrest of the alleged spy by Belgian authorities, Canada’s Public Safety Minister pledged to thoroughly investigate the matter, emphasizing the gravity of the charges. Prime Minister Mark Carney later confirmed that Canadian officials have been actively involved in the case since its inception.
An inquiry by CBC News revealed that the former NATO intern had previously held positions within various Canadian government departments, including working as an economist at Statistics Canada and a systems engineer at the Canadian Space Agency. In 2023, the Public Service Commission of Canada found Zhang had engaged in fraudulent activities by submitting multiple applications under different names and emails for a position at the Canada Border Services Agency.
Zhang’s resumé also indicated employment at the World Trade Organization in Geneva and the European Space Agency in Italy, with recent graduation from the University of Ottawa with a master’s degree in computer science specializing in artificial intelligence. The day before her arrest on espionage and criminal organization charges, Belgian authorities conducted searches at her residence and workplace at SHAPE.
The government has promised to provide further information as the investigation progresses in response to the espionage allegations facing the Canadian intern at NATO.