Conservatives, Bloc want probe into Canadian NATO intern spying allegations
Biwei Zhang was an intern at NATO's military headquarters in Belgium
Conservative and Bloc MPs have called for an emergency meeting of the House of Commons public safety committee to probe espionage allegations against a Canadian former intern arrested by Belgian authorities on suspicion of espionage.
"These allegations are deeply concerning and raise serious questions about Canada's national security screening processes," Conservative MP Frank Caputo said in a statement on Thursday.
"Parliament must determine whether there were gaps in Canada's security screening system and whether those gaps could have exposed sensitive information or put the security of Canada and our allies at risk."
Biwei Zhang was an intern at NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in the Belgian city of Mons.
Officials from that country did not name or provide details of her identity but a CBC News investigation identified the woman as Zhang, a systems engineer with a background in economics.
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Zhang's online resumé suggests she previously worked for the Canadian Space Agency and Statistics Canada.
Security sources, speaking to media in Europe, including the Reuters news agency, have said the intern allegedly exhibited suspicious behaviour that drew the attention of NATO's internal security services.
According to Belgian media reports Zhang was overly curious about her colleagues, had a tendency to enter areas where she was not authorized and apparently accessed files outside her professional remit in SHAPE's IT Department.
Zhang is currently being held by security officials in Belgium. The allegations against her have not been proven in court.
Public safety minister promises answers
Caputo's statement said the committee will look into how Zhang was able to secure an internship at NATO's military headquarters, what security screening was conducted before she was granted access, whether any concerns were flagged by Canadian or allied authorities and whether proper monitoring took place.
"The public safety minister has said that he will investigate Canada's security screening processes and 'get to the bottom of what happened.' Canadians deserve to know what happened, and Parliament has a responsibility to demand those answers," Caputo said.
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The case has raised concerns about Canada's security screening processes. To answer those concerns Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said security officials will look into whether Zhang worked for any Canadian agencies.
"Ultimately, we need to get to the bottom of this, and we need to ensure that these types of incidents do not occur in the future," Anandasangaree said last month.
Last week, Prime Minister Mark Carney suggested Canadian security officials were not caught flat-footed by the arrest.
With files from Murray Brewster and CBC News