Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party won both the elections in 2019 and 2021An official investigation conducted by a panel of senior Canadian officials into the 2021 elections in the country concluded that there were no indications of attempts by India to influence the national polls. This finding was revealed during testimony provided by members of the Critical Election Incident Public Protocol to the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions, overseen by Justice Marie-Josee Hogue, on Monday.
The absence of any foreign interference (FI) alerts pertaining to India was highlighted by senior parliamentary reporter Steven Chase from the Canadian news outlet Globe and Mail. He shared on X (formerly Twitter), “The panel of bureaucrats tasked with monitoring the 2021 election informed the foreign interference inquiry that they had not been made aware of any potential FI activity originating from India during the 2021 campaign.”
However, during the same inquiry session on Monday, a briefing note submitted pointed towards Chinese interference during the election cycle. This note, prepared by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and presented to the Prime Minister’s Office in February 2023, highlighted, “We know that the People’s Republic of China clandestinely and deceptively interfered in both the 2019 and 2021 general elections.”
The CSIS document indicated that the primary target of this interference was the principal opposition Conservative Party and its leader at the time, Erin O’Toole, who had adopted a platform critical of Beijing. “In 2021, the PRC FI were almost certainly motivated by a perception that the Conservative Party of Canada was promoted on a platform that was perceived to be anti-PRC,” the CSIS note stated.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party won both the elections in 2019 and 2021. Under pressure from opposition legislators unhappy about media reports on China’s possible role, Trudeau set up a commission into foreign interference.
These revelations have emerged as the public hearings for the inquiry near conclusion, scheduled to wrap up on Wednesday, with expected appearances from senior officials including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
India has consistently refuted any involvement in FI activities in Canada. Last week, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We strongly reject all such baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections. It is not the Government of India’s policy to interfere in the democratic processes of other countries. In fact, quite the opposite, it is Canada which has been interfering in our internal affairs.”
Despite India’s denial, it has been referenced during the inquiry hearings and cited by CSIS in connection with alleged FI activities in Canada, alongside Russia, Iran, and Pakistan. However, China remains the focal point for Canadian agencies regarding foreign interference.
Previous allegations made by Trudeau regarding Indian involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil have strained bilateral relations between the two nations. Despite India’s dismissal of these allegations as baseless, they have resulted in diplomatic tensions and consequences.