Canadian parliament to review security clearance after NATO intern arrested for espionage

The House of Commons public safety committee will meet Monday to consider probing security-screening lapses after a Canadian woman was detained in Belgium on suspicion of spying for a foreign power while interning at NATO.

On Monday, the House of Commons public safety committee is slated to hold a special out-of-session meeting to decide whether to launch an inquiry into possible failures in Canada’s security-screening procedures. The move comes after Belgian authorities disclosed on July 25 that Biwei “Claire” Zhang, identified as a Canadian national of Chinese origin in her early thirties, was arrested on suspicion of spying for a third country while interning at NATO’s central military headquarters in southern Belgium.

Zhang, a graduate in computer science and systems engineering, had previously held positions with multiple Canadian federal agencies, and her NATO internship was financed by Global Affairs Canada, which also conducted her security clearance. Four Conservative members of parliament and one Bloc Québécois MP sent a joint letter to Liberal MP Jean-Yves Duclos, the committee chair, arguing that the “serious allegations of espionage” merit an urgent review of the internship’s vetting, information-sharing and monitoring mechanisms.

Citing a special order of House procedure, they compelled Duclos to schedule the meeting, which will commence at 3 p.m. ET on Parliament Hill. The outcome could influence future oversight of security clearances for Canadians placed in sensitive international posts.