In Ottawa, the Canadian intelligence agency has accused India and Pakistan of attempting to “interfere” in Canada’s federal elections during both the 2019 and 2021 general elections. These allegations were disclosed in an unclassified summary by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), which was presented as part of the Federal Commission of Inquiry investigating potential interference by various countries, including China, India, and Russia, in the aforementioned elections.
India vehemently refutes the accusations of election interference in Canada, labeling them as “baseless.” Instead, India asserts that Ottawa’s meddling in New Delhi’s internal affairs remains the crux of the issue. The Indian government has strongly condemned the allegations put forth by the Canadian security intelligence services, dismissing them as unfounded.
As per the document, there were concerted efforts by India and Pakistan to influence Canada’s elections, as reported by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Canada’s federal commission of inquiry into foreign interference is reportedly probing allegations of Indian meddling in the past two general elections.
Responding to these reports, the External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, rebuffed the claims of Indian interference, emphasizing that such allegations lack merit. He pointedly remarked that it is not the policy of the Indian government to intervene in the democratic processes of other nations and accused Canada of interference in India’s internal matters instead.
The CSIS report alleges that in 2021, the Indian government exhibited an “intent to interfere,” possibly engaging in clandestine activities, including utilizing proxy agents in Canada. Similarly, in 2019, officials from the Government of Pakistan in Canada purportedly sought to clandestinely influence Canadian federal politics to advance Pakistan’s interests.
Furthermore, the CSIS asserts that in 2021, India’s foreign interference efforts focused on specific electoral districts. The Indian government allegedly targeted these constituencies due to a perceived sympathy among some Indo-Canadian voters towards the Khalistani movement or pro-Pakistan political stances.
The CSIS has gathered intelligence suggesting that a proxy agent of the Indian government may have attempted to interfere in democratic processes by providing illicit financial backing to pro-Indian candidates. However, the specific ridings or candidates potentially impacted by India’s alleged meddling remain undisclosed.
During the public inquiry, CSIS Director David Vigneault cautioned that intelligence does not always equate to fact and may necessitate further investigation. He emphasized that the provided documents contain uncorroborated, single-sourced, or incomplete summaries.
While the focus of the foreign interference public inquiry primarily revolves around alleged Chinese interference, documents presented also mention Pakistan and India. Notably, a summary of a meeting between CSIS and the Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections highlighted China and India as the two primary state actors involved in the previous election.
A public summary of a classified CSIS briefing from June 2019 also included India and Pakistan among other state actors capable of meddling in Canada. The strained relationship between India and Canada escalated following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s insinuations last year regarding potential Indian involvement in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023.
In response to Trudeau’s allegations, India temporarily suspended visa issuance to Canadian citizens and requested Ottawa to scale down its diplomatic presence in the country. India has dismissed Trudeau’s claims as baseless and politically motivated, accusing Canada of harboring Khalistani extremists targeting India. It’s worth noting that India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.
