Evidence of meeting #38 for Canada-China Relations in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was policies.
A video is available from Parliament.
Conservative
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
I'm not aware of the details of their investigations, so I will have to refer you to Public Safety Canada.
Conservative
Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB
Thank you.
Are PRC citizens who are not Canadian citizens or citizens of formally allied countries allowed to be granted secret security clearances?
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
The policy on security clearance is set by the Treasury Board Secretariat. It is irrespective of nationality.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken Hardie
We're going to give you five minutes because you've missed two of your two-and-a-half-minute segments. We have Mr. Cooper now. We have Mr. Erskine-Smith, and then we'll go to you for five minutes.
Liberal
Conservative
Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB
Thank you for that.
Paragraph 31 of the June 30, 2020, CSIS assessment on Dr. Qiu states that an individual identified as “Restricted Visitor #1” had access to the Winnipeg lab. This individual was an employee of the People's Liberation Army-controlled Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, whose mentor was a major general identified as Beijing's “chief biological weapons defense expert engaged in research related to...bio-defence and bio-terrorism.”
Did this individual have a secret security clearance?
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
I'm going to defer to Dr. Poliquin about the processes for restricted visitors at the lab.
Vice-President, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada
In terms of access to the laboratory, restricted visitors were a special category of individuals who would be under escort at all times but who would not have had access to high-containment laboratories.
Conservative
Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB
Who granted, who authorized, this Beijing military scientist's access to the lab?
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
I would say that the policy on visitors restricted their access to areas in line with the clearances they had, so there would have been no access of visitors to restricted level 3 and level 4 labs.
Conservative
Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB
That's not my question. They had access to the lab. They were in the lab. They might not have been in the level 4 part of the lab. I'm asking you, Ms. Jeffrey—or whoever may answer—this: Who authorized that access by a Beijing military scientist whose mentor was Beijing's foremost expert in bioterrorism?
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
When we use the term “national microbiology lab”, we're referring to a complex of buildings that has both secure and public facilities. I'll turn to our two security officers to talk about the policy.
Conservative
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
We will return to the committee with that information. I don't have it at hand.
Conservative
Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB
Paragraph 54 of the same CSIS assessment states that Dr. Qiu gave access to the lab to at least two individuals who are “employees of a PRC institution whose work is not aligned with Canadian interests”.
Did Dr. Qiu, on her own, have the authority to grant access to those individuals? If not, who did?
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
I'll defer to Dr. Poliquin with regard to the procedures at the lab.
Vice-President, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada
Prior to access to the laboratory at the time, an individual would have had to fill out a facility access request form for a particular individual, and those are submitted to the security division for review to provide access. Also, as previously stated, access to the laboratory does not give full access to all parts of the laboratory. There are strict procedures—
Conservative
Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB
I understand that. I thank you for that clarification. I presume that would also apply to the Beijing military scientist who was a restricted visitor.
Would CSIS intelligence assessments or reviews have been undertaken before those individuals were granted access to the lab?
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
I'll turn to our chief security officer to talk about the procedures.
