Canada slow to respond to foreign interference
OTTAWA:
The Canadian government's response to foreign interference — notably by China — was at times slow and poorly coordinated, a public commission concluded on Tuesday.
Ottawa "took too long to act, and coordination was not always optimal" to counter threats, commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue told a news conference.
But overall Canada's "democratic institutions have remained robust in the face of attempted foreign interference," she said.
China — deemed to be the main meddler in Canadian affairs — has rejected the accusations. India, Russia, Pakistan and Iran were also accused of foreign interference.
The release of Hogue's seven-volume final report comes just months before Canadians could return to polls.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Business Recorder
India is a perpetrator of foreign interference, Canadian intelligence agency says
TORONTO: India is a perpetrator of foreign interference, Canada's intelligence agency said in a report published on Wednesday, just after India's and Canada's prime ministers vowed to strengthen ties at a global summit hosted by Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held what both sides called productive talks on Tuesday at the G7 summit in Alberta and agreed to reinstate top diplomats they had withdrawn last year. Carney drew outrage from some members of Canada's Sikh community when he invited Modi to the G7. Canada-India relations have been tense since former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2023 accused India's government of involvement in the June 18, 2023, murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader in Canada. Modi's government has denied involvement in Nijjar's killing and has accused Canada of providing a safe haven for Sikh separatists. The intelligence report noted transnational repression 'plays a central role in India's activity in Canada,' though it said China poses the greatest counter-intelligence threat to Canada and also named Russia, Iran and Pakistan. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in October they had communicated more than a dozen threats to Sikhs advocating for the creation of a homeland carved out of India. 'Indian officials, including their Canada-based proxy agents, engage in a range of activities that seek to influence Canadian communities and politicians,' the Canadian Security Intelligence Service report reads. India's Modi visits Croatia with EU trade on agenda '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 Indian High Commission and the Chinese embassy in Canada did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Business Recorder
India, Canada return ambassadors as Carney, Modi look past spat
KANANASKIS, (Canada): India and Canada agreed Tuesday to return ambassadors to each other's capitals, turning a page on a bitter spat over an assassination as Canada's new leader welcomed counterpart Narendra Modi. Prime Minister Mark Carney, who took office in March, invited Modi to the Canadian Rockies as a guest at the summit of the Group of Seven major economies. Carney's predecessor Justin Trudeau last year publicly accused India of involvement in the assassination of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil and expelled the Indian ambassador, triggering a furious reciprocal response from India. Carney and Modi agreed that the two countries would name new high commissioners, as ambassadors are known between Commonwealth nations, in hopes of restoring normal operations for citizens and businesses. Carney said he hoped the meeting would 'provide the necessary foundations to begin to rebuild the relationship, based on mutual respect, sovereignty, trust.' 'I would describe it as foundational — as a necessary first step, a frank, open exchange of views around law enforcement, transnational repression,' he told a news conference. He noted that India is invited each year to G7 summits of major industrial democracies, pointing to the size of its economy. The row had severely impeded diplomatic services between the two countries, which traded $9 billion in 2023 and have close cultural ties due to the vast Indian diaspora in Canada. Canada had to suspend in-person services at all missions in India outside its embassy in New Delhi. Politically sensitive Modi took a conciliatory tone as he met Carney at the mountain resort, saying that both Canada and India were 'dedicated to democratic values.' 'The relationship between India and Canada is very important in many ways,' Modi said. He congratulated Carney on guiding his Liberal Party to an election victory and voiced confidence that going forward, 'India and Canada will work together to make progress in many areas.' Sikh protesters rallied on the streets of Calgary, the closest large city to the summit, as many criticized Carney's inclusion of Modi, who is accustomed to invitations to major international gatherings despite criticism of his Hindu nationalist government's human rights record. The left-wing New Democratic Party, the fourth largest party in parliament which is not formally part of Carney's government, denounced the invitation to Modi and pointed to allegations of Indian surveillance against its former leader Jagmeet Singh, who is Sikh. 'Continuing to engage Modi's government without accountability undermines all efforts to defend human rights, transparency, and the rule of law,' it said in a statement before the visit. Canada is home to the largest Sikh population outside India. With some two percent of Canadian population and clustered in suburban swing areas, the community has exerted growing political influence. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a naturalized Canadian citizen who advocated for an independent Sikh state called Khalistan, was shot dead in the parking lot of a Sikh temple in British Columbia in 2023. Trudeau accused India of direct involvement. Canada has accused India of directing a broad campaign of intimidation against Sikh activists in the country. India denied involvement in the killing and said Canada should take more action against violent advocates for Khalistan, which has been reduced to a fringe movement inside India. Carney declined to say if he specifically mentioned Nijjar's case in his talks with Modi, noting that it was the subject of ongoing litigation. The United States, which has a warm relationship with India, also accused an Indian agent of involvement in an unsuccessful plot against a Sikh separatist on US soil but addressed concerns more quietly than Trudeau.
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
India a perpetrator of foreign interference: Canadian intelligence
Sikh protesters participate in a rally as world leaders gather in Kananaskis for the G7 leaders' summit in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on June 16, 2025. Photo: Reuters Listen to article India is a perpetrator of foreign interference, Canada's intelligence agency said in a report published on Wednesday, just after India's and Canada's prime ministers vowed to strengthen ties at a global summit hosted by Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held what both sides called productive talks on Tuesday at the G7 summit in Alberta and agreed to reinstate top diplomats they had withdrawn last year. Carney drew outrage from some members of Canada's Sikh community when he invited Modi to the G7. Canada-India relations have been tense since former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2023 accused India's government of involvement in the June 18, 2023, murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader in Canada. Read More: Fury among Canadian Sikhs as Modi invited to G7 despite alleged threats Modi's government has denied involvement in Nijjar's killing and has accused Canada of providing a safe haven for Sikh separatists. The intelligence report noted transnational repression "plays a central role in India's activity in Canada," though it said China poses the greatest counter-intelligence threat to Canada and also named Russia, Iran and Pakistan. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in October they had communicated more than a dozen threats to Sikhs advocating for the creation of a homeland carved out of India. "Indian officials, including their Canada-based proxy agents, engage in a range of activities that seek to influence Canadian communities and politicians," the Canadian Security Intelligence Service report reads. Also Read: Trudeau says 'clear indications' India violated Canadian sovereignty amid Sikh separatist row "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 Indian High Commission and the Chinese embassy in Canada did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
