Two scientists at a high-security laboratory lost their jobs in 2021 after analysis found they failed to protect sensitive assets and information and downplayed their cooperation with Chinese government agencies, officials said. Recently published documents.
More than 600 pages of documents were published on Wednesday after a special audit by representatives of all parties in the House of Commons.
According to the documents, scientists Xiangguo Qiu and her husband Keding Cheng lost their security clearances due to questions about their loyalty to Canada and the possibility of coercion or exploitation by a foreign company.
Opposition parties hoped the documents would shed light on why researchers Xiangguo Qiu and Keding Cheng were escorted from the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg in July 2019 and released a year and a half later in January 2021.
The curators also wanted to see documents related to the transmission of the deadly Ebola and Nipah viruses to the Chinese Institute of Virology in Wuhan in March 2019, which Ms. Qiu oversaw.
Three former senior judges had the final say on the disclosure of the recently released, partially redacted documents.
Records show the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) found that Ms. Qiu had repeatedly lied about the extent of her work with Chinese government institutions and refused to admit her involvement in various Chinese programs, even when presented with evidence.
THE CSIS concluded that although he was given every opportunity to describe his connection to Chinese companies in his interviews, Ms. Qiu continued to flatly deny, feign ignorance, or tell outright lies
.
A November 2020 report from the Public Health Agency of Canada on Ms. Qiu said investigators have evaluated the negative information and agree with the assessment CSIS
.
Investigators concluded that Ms. Qiu's loyalty remains very worrying
due to its direct contacts with companies affiliated with a foreign state.
A health authority report on Mr. Cheng's activities said he allowed restricted visitors to work unaccompanied in laboratories and that he failed at least twice to prevent the unauthorized removal of laboratory equipment.
The report also said that Mr. Cheng did not comment on his activities and interactions with people in government agencies from another country, namely members of the People's Republic of China
.
The actions of Dr. Cheng reflect those of a person who is negligent with the information and property in his or her custody and who is not open and truthful when asked about these communications.
In a statement, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accused the Liberal government of allowing the Chinese government and its entities to infiltrate Canada's top laboratory.
This is a massive national security failure by Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government that he has fought tooth and nail to cover up.
Federal Health Minister Mark Holland said Wednesday the documents showed lax adherence to safety protocols at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.
But Mr. Holland insisted that at no time did national secrets or information threatening Canada's security leave the lab.
“I think there has been a misunderstanding about the risk of foreign interference,” he told reporters. I believe that serious efforts have been made to comply with these guidelines, but not with the rigor required.
With information from The Canadian Press
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