Canadian parliamentary panel identifies India as second-biggest foreign threat to its democracy
The cross-party panel of senators and MPs with high-security clearances, known as the NSICOP, released its findings at a time when ties between Canada and India are at an all-time low. After Trudeau claimed last year that Indian government operatives were responsible for the death of Khalistani operative Hardeep Singh Nijjar—a claim that New Delhi rejected as "absurd"—the relationship fell apart.
A new National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP), a high-level Canadian Parliamentary panel, report has labelled India as the “second biggest foreign threat” to Canada’s democracy, after China, according to a Hindustan Times report.
“India emerged as the second-most significant foreign interference threat to Canada’s democratic institutions and processes,” said the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians report. According to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his administration takes the issue of foreign meddling “very seriously.”
“While India’s foreign interference efforts have slowly increased, it became clear during the period of this review that its efforts had extended beyond countering what it perceived as pro-Khalistani efforts in Canada to include interfering in Canadian democratic processes and institutions, including through the targeting of Canadian politicians, ethnic media and Indo-Canadian ethnocultural communities,” the report stated, which mentions India 44 times in its 84 pages.
Overview of the Foreign Threats to Canadian Democracy
The cross-party panel of senators and MPs with high-security clearances, known as the NSICOP, released its findings at a time when ties between Canada and India are at an all-time low. After Trudeau claimed last year that Indian government operatives were responsible for the death of Khalistani operative Hardeep Singh Nijjar—a claim that New Delhi rejected as “absurd”—the relationship fell apart. Redacted, the report was presented in Parliament this week after being sent to the Prime Minister’s Office in May. China was characterized as “unquestionably the most prolific actor” about foreign meddling in Canadian democracy.
“In its efforts to protect and enhance the legitimacy and stability of the Chinese Communist Party domestically and abroad, the PRC employs a comprehensive approach to targeting and leveraging virtually all aspects of Canada’s democratic processes and institutions to advance its strategic interests,” it said.
Unclassified papers released by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) earlier this year said that some nations, notably India, had meddled in Canada’s elections. India has called the accusations “baseless” and angrily rejected any such connection. New Delhi has previously dismissed similar allegations and accused Canadian officials of meddling in Indian affairs, contending that Canada harbors Khalistani and other extremist elements. The report was submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office in May but tabled in Parliament, with redactions, this week. It described China as “clearly the most prolific actor” in the context of foreign interference in Canadian democracy.
We have seen media reports about the Canadian commission enquiring into it. We strongly reject all such baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in April.
The report said India has “emerged as the second-most significant foreign interference threat to Canada’s democratic institutions and processes”, displacing Russia. India’s “foreign interference efforts have slowly increased” and extended beyond countering pro-Khalistan elements in Canada, it alleged. Indian officials did not immediately respond to the story. Similar claims have been rejected by New Delhi in recent months, and it has accused Canadian diplomats of meddling in internal affairs in India. The Indian side has further argued that Canada is providing sanctuary to extremist groups like Khalistani and others, allowing them to engage in anti-Indian actions.
The recent committee report found that Russia’s involvement in foreign interference activities specifically targeting Canadian democratic institutions and processes was less than initially assessed, in contrast to the 2019 report that ranked Russia as the second most significant foreign interference threat.
The committee’s report also mentioned Pakistan’s and Iran’s participation in acts of foreign intervention. In the early part of the period under consideration, Pakistan “also targeted democratic institutions and processes,” according to the study. Moreover, it claimed that Iran, Pakistan, China, and India were involved in “transnational repression.”
It referred to Trudeau’s September 18, 2018, comments in this regard, stating that there were “credible allegations” of a possible connection between Indian operatives and the murder of Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.
Nijjar had been declared a terrorist by India. Amid strained relations between the two nations, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulated the Indian Prime Minister on his victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and wished Modi saying his country “stands ready” to work with the Modi government.
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