Public Health Agency did not carefully monitor raided Government Lab, scientists with ties to Wuhan lab fired

An audit of the lab showed no evidence of the raid that took place that targeted Chinese employees granted security clearances.

"Often the Laboratory and Agency are not aware of what the other is working on," said the internal report titled Evaluation Of The Public Health Agency Of Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory 2014-2019. "As a result, they do not always know about opportunities for Laboratory scientists and Agency epidemiologists to collaborate."

Chinese scientists Keding Chang and Xiangguo Qiu were suspended from the lab in 2019, being fired with security clearances revoked soon after. Managers confirmed that the husband and wife had made visits to Wuhan, China in the past, which is home to the Wuhan Institute of Virology where many have speculated the COVID-19 virus had come from. Agency management has refused to discuss the firings.

According to Blacklock's Reporter, an RCMP investigation is underway.

"There is no doubt Dr. Qiu and Dr. Chang worked at the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg," said Conservative MP Michael Chong representing Wellington-Halton Hills, Ontario during a May 10 hearing of the Commons Special Committee on Canada-China Relations.

"There is also no doubt that in order to work there you need secret level clearance, clearance they must have had," he continued. "We need to know what the Government of Canada was doing through the Laboratory in Winnipeg with respect to cooperating with the Wuhan Institute of Virology."

According to Chong, the duo had traveled to China five separate times between 2017 to 2018.

"One of those trips was to train scientists and technicians at China’s new Level Four virology lab in Wuhan," said Chong. "People are raising questions. This is not some dark part of the web driven by conspiracies. There are reputable people raising very real questions, and our question as Canadian parliamentarians is: What role did this National Microbiology Lab have in cooperating with this Institute of Virology in Wuhan?"

Although the Evaluation report is dated February 2021, it was only just released. It makes no mention of the raid and of security at the facility.

"International collaborations are valuable as they allow the sharing of information and best practices," staff wrote.

Auditors of the laboratory said it was "highly credible," "well valued," and "effective at accomplishing its mandate."

Public Health Agency president Iain Stewart said that "there have been many warm words said about the Public Health Agency. All I can say is the RCMP are in fact conducting an investigation."