Global Affairs Canada did not carry out internet or other open-source searches when it granted security clearance to the Canadian intern later charged with spying at NATO, the department's former deputy minister told MPs, the National Post reports.
David Morrison, now Prime Minister Mark Carney's senior foreign policy adviser, told the Commons public safety committee that such searches should be standard and that the gap has since been fixed. Belgian authorities charged the intern, whom media have named as Biwei Zhang, with espionage in July; she remains in custody.
A 2024 Federal Court decision had shown she was refused a border agency job over fraud in her application. Conservative and Bloc MPs called the admission a system failure. Morrison recommended a government-wide clearance database and continuous checks on clearance holders.
Source: National Post
