A declassified Canadian intelligence report has accused India of interfering in its federal elections elections. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service claimed that foreign interference networks are “deeply embedded” in Canadian politics and operate at every level of government.
The report was published by the Global News outlet on February 1 after obtaining it under the Access to Information Act. The report names India and China as top threats.
The declassified document, dated Feb. 24, 2023, is titled, “Briefing to the Minister of Democratic Institutions on Foreign Interference.” It called China “by far the most significant threat.”
“We know that the PRC (People's Republic of China) sought to clandestinely and deceptively influence the 2019 and 2021 federal elections,” the briefing released by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service states.
The Global News notes that the report was entirely redacted except for a single sentence mentioning that "India engages in foreign interference activities".
The report comes amidst the frayed ties between India and Canada over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil.
The Canadian media has been persistently raising foreign interference since last year when the Globe and Mail first reported on February 17, “China employed a sophisticated strategy to disrupt Canada’s democracy in the 2021 federal election campaign as Chinese diplomats and their proxies backed the re-election of Justin Trudeau’s Liberals – but only to another minority government – and worked to defeat Conservative politicians considered to be unfriendly to Beijing.”
This report was based on intelligence documents.
However, this is the first time that India's name has been mentioned. India and Canada have been seeking to mend their relations after Prime Minister Justine Trudeau in the parliament on September 18 last year there were “credible allegations” of a potential link between Indian agents and the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18, 2023.