India-Canada relations

Amid the plummeting diplomatic ties, Canada has identified India as the “second-most significant foreign interference threat” to its democratic institutions and processes.

In this assessment submitted by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP), Canada has placed India second only to The People’s Republic of China (PRC) and has moved Russia down to third place.

The high-level parliamentary committee’s report states, “India emerged as the second-most significant foreign interference threat to Canada’s democratic institutions and processes. 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.”

Denoting them as ‘key threat actors,’ the committee noted that “states including India, Pakistan and Iran engaged in foreign interference activities. The Committee found that these activities posed a significant risk to national security, principally by undermining Canada’s fundamental institutions and eroding the rights and freedoms of people in Canada.”

Moreover, the report has also alleged that India “funnelled funds to some federal candidates”.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has responded to the report by emphasising his government’s serious concern regarding foreign interference. He stated, “We will continue to work closely with our allies and partners to protect our democracy and institutions from all threats.”

The NSICOP report comes amidst strained India-Canada relations. India has previously accused Canadian officials of interfering in Indian affairs and harbouring extremist elements linked to the Khalistan movement.

Notably, on June 6, the Canadian PM, on his official X account, conveyed his best wishes to Narendra Modi for NDA’s majority in the Lok Sabha Election.