Conservative and Bloc Québécois members of the House of Commons public safety and national security committee are calling for an emergency meeting to discuss spying allegations involving a former Canadian NATO intern in Belgium.
Frank Caputo, the Conservative public safety critic, said MPs need to discuss the “serious questions” the case raises about “Canada’s national security screening processes.”
“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 in a media statement.
“This is not about partisan politics. It is about protecting Canadians, safeguarding sensitive information and maintaining the trust of our NATO allies.”
The suspect, described as a Canadian national of Chinese origin, faces charges related to espionage and participation in a criminal organization after she was arrested last month.
A source identified the woman as Biwei Zhang (who also uses the name Claire Zhang), a former Canadian civil servant.
The Globe and Mail is not identifying the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the case.
Prosecutors said only that Ms. Zhang was suspected of “spying on behalf of a third country and of being a member of a criminal organization.” On July 30, a national security source told The Globe that the country in question was China.
The suspect worked as an intern at NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Mons, Belgium.
The suspect is being held by Belgian authorities on pretrial detention but is appealing this decision.
The Belgian federal prosecutor’s office has said it does not disclose the identities of suspects in ongoing investigations, citing the presumption of innocence.
A RCMP spokesperson previously told The Canadian Press the Mounties will continue to offer support to their international law enforcement partners.
The Conservatives and Bloc have a combined five votes on the national security committee and the Liberals hold six, giving the governing party a majority say over whether the committee will investigate the matter.
– With reports from The Globe and Mail