Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Once again, I want to reiterate that I'm thankful that colleagues from all parties have come during our busy summer to discuss this very important national security issue. This issue's really been brought to light by the recent allegations regarding Ms. Zhang, who is a Canadian national and a former employee of the federal government. She was working at NATO headquarters and has been accused by the Belgian government of engaging in acts of espionage.
Of course, Ms. Zhang is entitled to due process, and these are allegations at this point, but I know my constituents are telling me...and Canadians are rightly very concerned when we've seen multiple cases in the past number of years related to people who have been given national security classifications and been found to have been committing acts of espionage. I think of the Winnipeg lab security concerns. I think of a recent RCMP officer who was found guilty of passing along state secrets, and I think of members of the Canadian Armed Forces who are facing charges under the National Defence Act in relation to sharing state secrets.
Ensuring that our national security agencies are using the appropriate tools and taking the appropriate actions to screen people who are to be given positions where they would have access to state secrets, top secret material or material from our allies is of critical importance. I think it's quite embarrassing that Canada has faced allegations like this multiple times. I think it undermines our reputation among our allies.
The motion we have put forward is a very balanced motion. It seeks to address the system of security classifications to ensure that Canadians and our allies can have confidence that our system is operating appropriately to ensure the integrity of our national security.
I'll leave it at that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.