Conservative and Bloc Members of Parliament (MPs) have urged an urgent assembly of the House of Commons public safety committee to investigate allegations of espionage involving a former Canadian intern who was detained by Belgian authorities on suspicion of espionage.
Expressing grave concerns, Conservative MP Frank Caputo emphasized the need to scrutinize Canada’s national security screening procedures in light of these allegations. The intern in question, Biwei Zhang, had served as an intern at NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium.
Although Belgian officials did not disclose her identity, a CBC News investigation identified Zhang as a systems engineer with an economics background. Her online resume indicated previous employment at the Canadian Space Agency and Statistics Canada.
Sources in European media, including Reuters, reported that Zhang exhibited suspicious behavior that aroused the attention of NATO’s internal security services. Allegedly, she displayed excessive curiosity about her colleagues, accessed unauthorized areas, and retrieved files beyond her designated responsibilities in SHAPE’s IT Department.
Zhang is currently in custody in Belgium, and the accusations against her have not been substantiated in court.
In response to the situation, Public Safety Minister Caputo pledged to delve into how Zhang secured the internship at NATO’s military headquarters, the extent of security screening conducted prior to her appointment, any red flags raised by Canadian or allied authorities, and the adequacy of monitoring procedures.
Caputo stressed the importance of transparency and accountability, asserting that Canadians deserve to know the truth behind the incident. Meanwhile, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree vowed to investigate if Zhang had affiliations with Canadian agencies to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has indicated that Canadian security authorities were not caught off guard by Zhang’s arrest, suggesting a proactive stance in handling the situation.
