NEW DELHI: The high-level Canadian parliamentary committee report has identified India as the second most significant foreign threat to Canada’s democratic institutions and processes, following China.
The report was released amidst strained relations between India and Canada, further exacerbated by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations of Indian government agents’ involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which New Delhi promptly dismissed as baseless.
The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP), comprising members with top security clearances from both the House of Commons and the Senate, suggests that India’s foreign interference efforts have expanded beyond countering pro-Khalistan elements in Canada.
These efforts now “include interfering in Canadian democratic processes and institutions, including through the targeting of Canadian politicians, ethnic media and Indo-Canadian ethnocultural communities”, according to the report, which mentions India 44 times in its 84 pages.
The report also alleges that some Canadian Members of Parliament may have been influenced by foreign powers, engaged in inappropriate communication with foreign missions, attempted to sway colleagues improperly, and shared confidential information with foreign diplomats. Furthermore, it suggests that some MPs may have received financial support from foreign entities or their representatives.
While the report identifies China as the primary actor in foreign interference, describing the nation as the “most prolific” in such activities, it also highlights the strategies employed by China to bolster the legitimacy and stability of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
“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,” the report asserts.
