India still poses foreign interference threat to Canada despite renewed diplomacy: CSIS
OTTAWA — Indian officials and their proxy agents in Canada engage in a range of activities that seek to influence Canadian communities and politicians, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said Wednesday in its annual report.
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When such activities are deceptive, clandestine or threatening, they are deemed to be foreign interference, the report says.
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'These activities attempt to steer Canada's positions into alignment with India's interests on key issues, particularly with respect to how the Indian government perceives Canada-based supporters of an independent homeland that they call Khalistan,' the report says.
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The report adds that the re-election of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will mean India's political course will continue to follow the Hindu-nationalist policy agenda implemented since Modi was first elected in 2014.
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'Modi and his core ministers and advisers are keen to build India's global influence and counter any activity they consider as 'anti-India,' at home or abroad, in the name of domestic stability and prosperity,' the CSIS report says.
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'With that considered, there is a long history of India arguing that Canada is a haven for 'anti-India' activity, with the separatist Khalistan movement being a particular focus of India's concern, which is rooted in the aftermath of the 1985 Air India bombing and subsequent terrorist activity in India.'
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The report, which was tabled in the House of Commons on June 13, comes as Canada renews diplomatic ties with India following Prime Minister Mark Carney's meeting with Modi at the G7 in Kananaskis, Alta., on Tuesday. The two leaders agreed to reappoint their respective high commissioners.
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In October 2024, Canada expelled consular officials and six Indian diplomats — including the high commissioner — when they refused to co-operate with a police probe into allegations that agents of the Indian government ran a targeted campaign of criminal violence and harassment against Canadian citizens.
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