A parliamentary committee in the House of Commons has agreed to investigate Canada’s security screening procedures following the arrest of a Canadian NATO intern by Belgian authorities on charges of espionage. The decision was made after the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois called for an urgent committee meeting to address the spying allegations against the intern.
During a meeting of the public safety and national security committee, Members of Parliament from different parties collaborated and agreed to prioritize holding three sessions to delve into the issue when Parliament reconvenes in September. The committee plans to summon Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree as a witness and may call on other relevant witnesses. The committee will then present its findings and recommendations to the House.
While the Belgian courts have not disclosed the identity of the defendant in the criminal investigation, 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 confirmed that Biwei Zhang is the legal name of the suspect, but professionally goes by Claire Zhang and uses the name Catina Zhang on her Facebook profile. Belgian authorities suspect Zhang of spying for a foreign country and being associated with a criminal group.
The security clearance required for the NATO internship Zhang obtained involved a thorough background check, which Canadian authorities, specifically the RCMP and CSIS, would have been responsible for conducting, given her Canadian nationality.
After the arrest of the alleged spy by Belgian authorities, Canada’s public safety minister pledged to uncover the truth behind the situation, emphasizing the seriousness of the charges. Prime Minister Mark Carney also stated that Canadian officials have been actively engaged in the matter from the beginning.
CBC News investigation revealed that Zhang had previously held positions in 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 guilty of fraud for applying to the Canada Border Services Agency under multiple identities. Zhang’s request for a judicial review was dismissed in 2024.
According to her resume, Zhang also worked at the World Trade Organization in Geneva, the European Space Agency in Italy, and recently completed a master’s degree in computer science with a focus on artificial intelligence at the University of Ottawa. The day before the arrest, Belgian authorities conducted searches at Zhang’s home and workplace at SHAPE as part of the investigation.