Ottawa: Canada has officially designated India as a ‘foreign threat,’ accusing it of potential interference in their elections, as revealed in a declassified intelligence report by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. The report, titled ‘Foreign Interference and Elections: A National Security Assessment,’ dated October 2022, has categorized India as a ‘threat,’ emphasizing the impact of foreign interference on Canada’s democratic processes.
This recent development is part of an ongoing series of accusations and counter-allegations that emerged last year, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau implicating India in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar—an allegation vehemently denied by India. The report claims that foreign interference, which operates through secrecy and deception to influence public narratives and policy-making, poses a significant challenge to Canadian democracy.
It marks the first instance of Canada accusing India of election meddling, a charge already faced by China and Russia. In a briefing to the Minister of Democratic Institutions in February the previous year, China was identified as “by far the most significant threat” for attempting to clandestinely influence federal elections in 2019 and 2021.
While the declassified document does not explicitly name India and China, other materials cited in the media identify them as the top threats. Foreign interference is deemed to erode Canadian sovereignty, democratic processes, and values, impacting social cohesion and infringing on the Charter rights of Canadians, the report asserts.
In response to the allegations, the Canadian Prime Minister has ordered an inquiry to investigate the matter further. Tensions between India and Canada escalated after Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised concerns about rising secessionist activities during a bilateral meeting with Trudeau on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Delhi last year. A week later, Trudeau made the explosive claim that “Indian government agents” could be involved in the shooting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and wanted terrorist in India. India rejected the accusation as “absurd.”