Is Canada's Security Screening Failing?

We begin this week in Canada, where the federal government is considering changes to its national security screening system following the arrest of a Canadian intern accused of espionage while working at NATO headquarters in Belgium.

On October 21st, David Morrison, Prime Minister Mark Carney's senior diplomatic and international affairs advisor, appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security.

Morrison suggested that a government-wide registry of security clearance information could help federal departments identify relevant personal security information, reduce duplication, and improve the effectiveness of security screening.

But this raises an important question.

If an individual has already been identified as having engaged in dishonest behavior during a federal government employment process, Shouldn't that information be available to the people responsible for determining whether that individual can be trusted with classified information? And if that information isn't being shared, what other warning signs might be slipping through the cracks? Regular listeners may remember that we discussed this very issue during our October 9th episode of Global Intelligence Weekly Wrap-Up.

The case involved Biwei Zhang, also known as Claire Zhang, a Canadian national arrested by Belgian authorities on the 24th of July, Zhang had been working as an intern at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, or SHAPE, in Mons, Belgium.

She was arrested on allegations involving espionage for a third country and participation in criminal organization.

Reuters reported that the allegations were linked to China, although Chinese embassy rejected suggestions that Zhang had been spying for Beijing.

What makes this case particularly concerning is the information that was already available before her arrest.

In 2023, Canada's Public Service Commission determined that Zhang, had committed fraud during an appointment process involving the Canada Border Services Agency.

The conduct reportedly involved submitting applications using different names and email addresses without clarifying that they came from the same individual.

Zhang challenged the finding, but the federal court dismissed her application for judicial review in 2024.

Despite this finding, Public Safety Minister Gary Anasangary confirmed earlier this month that Global Affairs Canada had granted the individual a security clearance.

And this brings us to the latest parliamentary testimony.

Morse explained that the responsibility for security clearances is divided across several government organizations.

The Treasury Board Secretariat establishes the overall policy framework.

RCMP and CSIS provide criminal checks and national security assessments within their respective mandates.

But the ultimate responsibility for granting a clearance rests with the federal department or agency making the decision.

This is an important distinction.

CSIS does not simply grant security clearances to every federal employee.

It provides security assessments and advice that departments consider alongside other information when determining whether an individual should receive access to sensitive or classified material.

In our October 9th episode, we identified four questions that investigators needed to answer.

1.

When was Zang's clearance granted? 2.

What information was available at the time? 3.