Ottawa will look into screening processes amid NATO intern spying allegations
The Canadian government is set to review its security screening processes following allegations that a Canadian intern at NATO's headquarters in Belgium was spying for a third country. Parliamentary committees plan to investigate how the individual obtained security clearance.
Why it matters
The case raises significant concerns regarding national security, intelligence vetting, and the integrity of international military alliances.
The decision comes days after the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois called for an emergency committee meeting to probe the spying allegations against the Canadian intern.
At the public safety and national security committee meeting on Monday, MPs collaborated across party lines, agreeing to prioritize convening three times to study the issue when Parliament returns in September.
The committee will call Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree as a witness, and invite any other witnesses it deems necessary. It will then report its findings and recommendations to the House.
While Belgian courts do not publicly identify defendants in criminal investigations until the trial, a CBC News investigation identified the accused spy as Biwei Zhang, a systems engineer with a background in economics who was an intern at NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in the Belgian city of Mons.
CBC identifies Canadian woman accused of spying at NATO military HQ
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