Canadian Parliament to Examine Security Screening After NATO Intern Arrested for Espionage

The House of Commons public safety and national security committee agreed Monday to hold at least three hearings on Canada's security screening process, prioritizing the study for when Parliament returns from summer break in late September 123. The committee will call Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree to testify, and Conservatives are pushing to add CSIS Director and the Prime Minister's national security and intelligence adviser to the witness list 3. The probe follows the July 25 arrest in Belgium of a Canadian NATO intern, identified by CBC News and The Globe and Mail through separate investigations as Biwei Zhang, also known professionally as Claire Zhang, on suspicion of espionage and participation in a criminal organization 23. Court records show the Public Service Commission of Canada found in 2023 that Zhang committed fraud in a job application to the Canada Border Services Agency, a finding a Federal Court judge upheld on review in 2024 123. Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canadian officials have been involved in the investigation from the start but declined further comment, citing its active status 13.