India focused on pro-Khalistan elements in Canada, says report on foreign interference

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is slated to appear before the committee on Wednesday, where he is likely to put on record the latest findings by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) regarding the alleged interference by Indian officials.

Notably, Trudeau’s deposition comes a week after a document tabled before the commission said the RCMP is struggling to address the threat of foreign interference from countries such as India due to inadequate funds, lack of trained staff, and “a muddled mandate.”

For long, China and Russia were mainly on Canada’s radar for allegedly interfering in domestic politics. However, this changed on September 7, 2023, when the Trudeau government set up this commission, which was also mandated to look into interference by both India and Pakistan. Its formation coincided with Trudeau’s accusation that the Indian government was behind the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey last June.

India and ‘Khalistan’

The commission’s findings mainly highlighted the Indian government’s alleged preoccupation with pro-Khalistan elements, what

Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly termed as “transnational aggression” at a press briefing yesterday.

The commission’s report observed that India’s interest in Canada relates to the country’s large South Asian community and alleged, “India views part of these communities as fostering anti-India sentiment, which represents a threat to Indian stability and national security. India does not differentiate between lawful, pro-Khalistani political advocacy and the relatively small Canada-based Khalistani violent extremism. It views anyone aligned with Khalistani separatism as a seditious threat to India. Targets of Indian foreign interference are often members of the Indo-Canadian communities, but prominent non-Indo-Canadians are also subject to India’s foreign influence activities.”

The report alleges that Indian officials in Canada increasingly rely on Canadian and Canadian-based proxies, as well as their network contacts, to conduct foreign interference, making it difficult to establish a direct link between India and these activities.

Proxies, the report alleged, liaise with Indian intelligence officials in both India and Canada, taking direction from them.

On India’s alleged interference in the 2019 and 2021 general elections, the report states: “A body of intelligence indicates that Indian proxy agents may have attempted to interfere in democratic processes, reportedly including through the clandestine provision of illicit financial support to various Canadian politicians as a means of attempting to secure the election of pro-India candidates or gaining influence over candidates who take office. In some instances, the candidates may not even know that their campaigns received illicit funds.”

Under a subhead titled “Suspected Foreign Interference by the Government of India,” the report alleged that Indian officials had “continued to conduct FI (foreign interference) activities in Canada, both directly and through their Canadian proxies. During GE44, Indian officials were observed expressing interest in individual electoral contests and likely hoped pro-India candidates would prevail or, at least, that perceived anti-India candidates would not be (re-)elected.”

It further alleged that “a Government of India proxy agent may have attempted to clandestinely provide financial support to candidates in 2021.”

Interestingly, in 2018, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians published a special report into the allegations associated with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s official visit to India in February 2018.

Hunting ground for Pakistan looking to pin India

The report also indicted the Government of Pakistan for foreign interference aimed at countering India’s growing global influence. “Canada is an attractive target for Pakistan because of its significant South Asian community and the presence of Canada-based groups and individuals that can be leveraged as proxy agents against India.”

Pakistan, it said, targets specific Canadian communities as well as Canadian media entities. “Pakistan engaged in foreign interference by, for example, attempting to clandestinely affect the selection of politicians and candidates who are perceived to be more pro-Pakistan than pro-India.”

Chinese police stations in Canada

The inquiry also found that Ottawa had been unaware that China had set up illegal police stations in Canada until it learned of these activities from the Spain-based human rights organization, Safeguard Defenders.

Although the RCMP had claimed they shut down the police stations, Global Affairs official Weldon Epp testified that the Chinese embassy informed them in November 2022 that the stations were closed after Canada complained.