India dismissed a report from the Canadian Commission alleging government interference in Canada’s elections and accused Ottawa of interfering in New Delhi’s domestic matters.
In a robust response to the foreign interference commission report, coinciding with tense relations, the Ministry of External Affairs sought to shift blame by charging Canada with fostering conditions for “illegal migration” and “organized crime.”
“It is in fact Canada which has been consistently interfering in India’s internal affairs. This has also created an environment for illegal migration and organised criminal activities. We reject the report’s insinuations on India and expect that the support system enabling illegal migration will not be further countenanced,” the MEA statement said.
The investigation, headed by Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue, suggested that the government may have tried to utilize “proxy agents to secretly offer financial backing to favored candidates during the 2021 election.” It also identified India as the second most involved nation in electoral interference in Canada.
The report also indicated that India employs disinformation as a primary method of foreign interference in Canada. The report additionally highlights “challenges” in the relations between the countries regarding India’s perceived national security issues related to Khalistani separatism.
Nonetheless, the investigation revealed that there was no proof of Canadian parliamentarians conspiring with foreign entities to meddle in the nation’s elections.
The report has emerged as the newest point of contention between India and Canada following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s assertion in 2023 that Indian agents were supposedly implicated in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The matter escalated significantly last year when the Canadian government alleged that Indian diplomats were “persons of interest” in the investigation into Nijjar’s murder. India reacted by pulling back these diplomats and additionally expelled six Canadian diplomats from its territory.
