RCMP have arrested a 53-year-old Canadian citizen in Burlington for allegedly trying to share confidential information with the Chinese government.
Officials say Qing Quentin Huang works for Lloyd’s Register, a subcontractor to Irving Shipbuilding. Irving is currently contracted to build patrol vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard and repair patrol frigates for the Royal Canadian Navy. In 2011, Ottawa announced that Irving had been selected to build combat vessels as part of a $33 billion project expected to span up to 30 years.
RCMP Chief Supt. Jennifer Strachan says investigators learned Huang was taking steps to transmit information to the Chinese government on Thursday. Officers then arrested the man Saturday afternoon.
Strachan says the information Huang was allegedly trying to distribute could give “tactical, military, or … competitive economic” advantage to a foreign nation. She says there is no current threat to public safety. She says the information he was trying to communicate related to elements of the government’s National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy.
Established in 2010, the three-pronged National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy serves as a guide for the construction of large and small vessels, as well as the repair, refit and maintenance of the existing fleet, which includes warships and icebreakers.
RCMP Director General Larry Tremblay says there is not currently any indication anyone else here was involved.
Strachan says the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs has been notified.
Huang is facing two charges under the Security Information Act. He appeared before a judge Sunday and will be held in custody for a bail hearing on Dec. 4.
The maximum penalty possible if convicted of the charges is life in prison.
The investigation included multiple agencies: Toronto Police Service, OPP, Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Canada Boarder Services Agency, York Regional Police, Peel police, Durham police, and the office of the Attorney General.
- With files from Corinne Ton That
