India Rejects Canadian Commission’s Claims of Election Interference

India has strongly dismissed the “insinuations” made in a Canadian commission’s report that investigated allegations of foreign interference in Canada’s elections. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a sharp response, rejecting the claims and asserting that it is Canada, not India, that has been consistently meddling in India’s internal affairs.

“We have seen a report about alleged activities on purported interference. It is, in fact, Canada that has been consistently interfering in India’s internal affairs,” the MEA stated.

The ministry further accused Canada of fostering an environment that enables illegal migration and organized crime. “We reject the report’s insinuations on India and expect that the support system enabling illegal migration will not be further encouraged,” the statement added.

According to The Globe and Mail, India was suspected of using proxy agents to secretly fund candidates from three political parties in a Canadian federal election.

In September 2023, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed Justice Marie-Josée Hogue to lead an inquiry into foreign interference in elections. Reports indicate that the commission examined interference allegations involving China, Russia, and other nations.

A June 2023 report by Canada’s National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians claimed that some Canadian lawmakers knowingly or partially engaged in foreign interference. The report described India as the second most active country in electoral interference, after China, while acknowledging long-standing challenges in India-Canada relations.

The report also accused India of spreading disinformation regarding the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. However, it contradicted itself by stating that Canada found no foreign-state involvement in his death. India had previously rejected these claims in November 2023, calling for them to be dismissed with the “contempt they deserve.”