A report released from the CSIS reveals election interference
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has released documents as part of a public inquiry into foreign interference. The documents claim that India ranks second only to China in attempts to meddle in Canadian democratic institutions.
Allegations include the Indian government's conduct of "clandestine activities" during the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.
The CSIS report states, "the Government of India has intent to interfere and likely conduct clandestine activities" within the released intelligence report regarding the 2021 Federal election.
With Canada's next federal election scheduled for 2025, the revelations about past foreign interference have raised significant concerns about the integrity of the upcoming vote. Security experts warn that similar interference attempts could be repeated without robust countermeasures.
In response to these concerns, Elections Canada has announced enhanced security measures for the 2025 vote, including increased monitoring of campaign financing and greater scrutiny of activities in electoral districts previously targeted by foreign interference.
The Liberal government has also established a new Critical Election Incident Public Protocol to monitor and address foreign interference threats during the upcoming election. This protocol brings together senior officials from national security agencies to assess and respond to significant threats to electoral integrity.
CSIS alleges Indian officials used "proxy agents" in Canada to secretly provide financial support to specific political candidates, targeting electoral districts with significant Indo-Canadian populations..
The CSIS also claim to have identified these proxy agents who attempted to interfere in democratic processes through "illiciting financial support to various Canadian politicians" to secure the election of candidates sympathetic to Indian interests.
"In some instances, the candidates may never know their campaigns received illicit funds," the report notes.
According to CSIS, India's interference activities were primarily motivated by concerns over the Khalistan movement, which advocates for an independent Sikh homeland in Punjab.
"The Government of India does not differentiate between lawful pro-Khalistan political advocacy and the relatively small Canada-based Khalistani violent extremism," the report states. "It perceives anyone engaged in Khalistani separatism as a seditious threat to India."
The allegations come amid already strained relations between Ottawa and New Delhi following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's accusation last year that India was involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh leader, near Vancouver in June 2023.
India has firmly denied the accusations. In April 2024, Randhir Jaiswal, India's Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, stated: "It is not the Government of India's policy to interfere in the democratic processes of other countries. In fact, quite on the reverse, it is Canada that has been interfering in our internal affairs."
The CSIS documents also accuse Pakistan of attempting to interfere in Canadian politics but acknowledge that the foreign interference was limited in comparison to other nations like India and China.
According to the assessment, Pakistan's activities were "primarily to promote political, security and economic stability in Pakistan and to counter India's growing global influence."
The CSIS report states that in 2019, "Government of Pakistan officials in Canada attempted to clandestinely influence Canadian federal politics to further the Government of Pakistan's interests in Canada."
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