Two Canadian scientists were fired in 2021 for passing information to China

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) says it has tightened research security after two scientists lost their jobs over their links with China. Earlier this month, Canada’s health minister released government documents detailing how two scientists at the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) – which is the only biosafety level 4 lab infectious disease lab in the country – were fired in 2021 for secretly providing confidential information to China.

‘PHAC has established clear and regular training and communication on security and employee accountabilities,’ the agency stated. Further, international collaborations will now require review from a security perspective and governance is in place to vet and approve new collaborations.