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Canada’s spy agency accuses India of “hostile foreign interference” in 2023 report
The CSIS accused India, China, Russia and Iran of meddling and espionage in Canada and in other Western countries in 2023.
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Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. / X @JustinTrudeau, @narendramodi
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) disclosed in its 2023 public report this week that India engaged in "hostile foreign interference and espionage activities" within Canada.
According to the report, India, along with China, Russia, and Iran, is considered one of the "major perpetrators of foreign interference and espionage" not only in Canada but also in other Western countries.
The report from the Canadian spy agency highlights that in 2023, these countries and their intelligence services persisted in engaging in various hostile foreign interference and espionage activities to further their objectives and interests.
The CSIS Act defines “foreign-influenced activities” as those "detrimental to the interests of Canada and clandestine or deceptive, or involve a threat to any person".
Foreign interference, as described, typically prioritizes the interests of another nation over those of Canada, thereby posing a threat to the country's interests.
The report from the Canadian spy agency also addresses cyber activities conducted against Canada by pro-India actors following a decline in Canada-India relations. However, it explicitly states that the Indian government was not involved in these activities.
"Following the deterioration in the bilateral relations between Canada and India, low-sophistication cyber activities against Canada by India-aligned non-state cyber actors were observed. There is no indication that the Government of India was responsible for these cyber incidents," says the CSIS report.
In September 2023, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau informed the House of Commons that Canada's security agencies were investigating credible allegations suggesting a possible connection between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Surrey, British Columbia, in June that year.
The statement resulted in a deterioration of bilateral relations between Canada and India.
In November 2023, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) unsealed an indictment detailing an alleged murder-for-hire plot involving an individual named Nikhil Gupta, who the indictment claimed was conspiring with a Government of India official. The purported target was described as a dual American-Canadian citizen residing in New York.
The Canadian spy agency's report also talks about the alleged interference by India during the 2019 and 2021 elections.
"In January 2024, the Public Enquiry on Foreign Interference requested that the Government of Canada’s collection and production of documents include information and documents relating to alleged interference by India during the 2019 and 2021 elections," the report added.
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