Open this photo in gallery:
NATO Headquarters in Brussels in February, 2025. A federal source not authorized to speak publicly about the issue said officials in Canada were proceeding on the basis the suspect is Biwei Zhang, also known as Claire Zhang.JOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images
A parliamentary committee plans to hold hearings on Canada’s security screening process following the arrest of a Canadian NATO intern on espionage allegations.
The House of Commons public safety and national security committee agreed at a meeting Monday to invite Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree and other witnesses to testify.
MPs plan to hold at least three meetings on a priority basis, though no dates have been set.
Conservative MP Dane Lloyd, who presented a motion to hold the hearings, said the proposal aimed to give Canadians and the country’s allies the “confidence needed to ensure that our system is operating appropriately to ensure the integrity of our national security.”
Bloc Québécois and Liberal MPs on the committee supported the plan for hearings. Bloc MP Sébastien Lemire said in French it was “an important issue, a very sensitive topic.”
The Belgian federal prosecutor’s office announced July 25 that “a Canadian national of Chinese origin” had been arrested on accusations of espionage and participation in a criminal organization.
Conservatives, Bloc call for emergency meeting to discuss NATO intern accused of spying
The suspect, who has not been named by the prosecutor’s office, worked as an intern at NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Mons, Belgium.
The office said she came to the attention of the organization’s security services, who reported the matter to Belgium’s military intelligence agency.
A federal source not authorized to speak publicly about the issue said officials in Canada were proceeding on the basis the suspect is Biwei Zhang – also known as Claire Zhang – who was previously employed by Canadian government agencies.
A variation of the name surfaced in the media shortly after the arrest. The European publication Follow the Money and media partners Le Soir, Knack and La Lettre reported the intern’s identity as Claire Z.
The Canadian Press tried to contact Zhang via e-mail for comment but has not received a response.
What we know so far about the Canadian NATO intern accused of spying for China
The story said she arrived in Mons in July 2025 to begin work at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe’s IT department. It also said the woman’s social media accounts showed she previously undertook a 10-month internship at the European Space Agency’s research centre in Italy and worked at the World Trade Organization in Switzerland, as well as for various Canadian government organizations.
A WTO official confirmed Claire Zhang was an intern at the organization for a short period in 2023.
A LinkedIn profile for “Claire Z” fitting the suspect’s description indicates the user holds a bachelor’s degree in applied economics from York University and a master’s degree in computer science and systems engineering from the University of Ottawa.
The profile said the user worked at the Canadian Space Agency as a systems engineer, at Statistics Canada as an economist and at the National Research Council as a data scientist.
The three federal agencies answered queries from The Canadian Press with identical responses last month.
“We take this matter very seriously,” the space agency’s Sandrine Masella said in an e-mailed statement.
“However, to respect the integrity of the investigation and the procedures of the Belgium Federal Police, who have not released the identity of the person in custody, we will not confirm specific details about the individual’s identity at this time.
“We will continue to collaborate domestically and with our international partners to protect national security and preserve the integrity of the investigative process.”
Court records said the Public Service Commission of Canada found in 2023 that Zhang committed fraud in an appointment process for a position with the Canada Border Services Agency. The Federal Court dismissed her application for judicial review of the decision the following year.
She submitted a letter of apology during the investigation into her actions.