Federal Health Minister Mark Holland suggested Monday that there were flaws in the initial screening of scientists at sensitive-level facilities like the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) in Winnipeg.
“These individuals have a responsibility to disclose their involvement and affiliation,” Holland told the House of Commons Select Committee on Canada-China Relations.
He further referred to the case of Dr. Qiu Xiangguo and her husband Keding Chen, who were taken away from NML in July 2019, saying, “It is possible to create a platform for lying and spreading misinformation, but unfortunately However, it was true,” he added. The security clearance has since been revoked. They were officially fired in January 2021.
The committee was hearing witnesses Monday after investigating the release of federal documents related to the firing of a key witness.
As a Level 4 laboratory, NML is equipped to address the most serious and deadly human and animal diseases, including pathogens like Ebola that require the highest levels of containment.
In 2020, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) found that Qiu “intentionally” shared scientific information and materials with China, putting people’s health at risk, according to documents filed by the federal government. concluded that it was possible.
Documents previously disclosed by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) show that in September 2018, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)’s National Security Administration issued a report to China that may contain scientific information created at the Canadian Human Sciences Center. It shows that he was notified that Chiu was listed as the inventor on the patent. and the Winnipeg Animal Health Authority (CSCHAH) — and that she shared that data without authorization.
Qiu, then head of vaccines and antivirals in CSCHAH’s zoonotic diseases and special pathogens division, told investigators at the time that he did not know his name was on the patent.
The Globe and Mail reports that Chiu and Chen are currently working in China.
The Netherlands called their actions “reprehensible” and “deeply worrying.”
“Given this, scientists know they can’t just take their word for it,” Holland said. “We have to question their relationships and investigate their lives in ways that would have been completely inappropriate and insane before.”
Review of policy
PHAC President Heather Jeffrey said that since the breach, NLA has strengthened its physical security measures, updated its policies regarding partnerships and collaborations with academic and health institutions, and developed new student recruitment policies.
Responsibility for granting or revoking access to sites such as the NLA rests with the organization’s deputy director, who in the case of PHAC is equivalent to the president or “vice president,” CSIS Director David Vigneault said at Monday’s meeting. confirmed.
Mr. Vigneault said China is taking a systematic approach to espionage through the Thousand Talents Program, a Chinese government-led program to recruit foreign science and technology experts. Qiu applied for this program with the aim of supporting the strengthening of infectious disease research in the People’s Republic of China.
