Ottawa: An official investigation into allegations of foreign interference in Canadian elections has cleared India of any meddling, asserting that there’s no evidence of Indian involvement in the electoral process.
A panel of senior Canadian officials overseeing the 2021 elections stated that they found no indications of India attempting to influence the national polls. One polling official told the investigation panel, “I do not believe that during the 2021 election we saw evidence of the Government of India using those tools in the campaign.”
According to a report by a renowned media outlet, panelists, including former Deputy Foreign Minister Marta Morgan and former Cabinet Secretary Janice Charette, testified that there was no evidence of Indian interference in the 2021 election. Morgan mentioned the absence of Indian disinformation within the Canadian information ecosystem, while Charette emphasized the lack of Indian government tactics in the campaign.
In contrast, the Canadian Intelligence agency reported that China had interfered in Canada’s last two elections, both of which saw Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party emerge victorious in 2019 and 2021.
Following allegations of interference by both India and Pakistan in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian elections, the Canada Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) initiated an inquiry. Trudeau is set to testify before the inquiry panel on April 10.
The findings regarding China’s interference in Canada’s election process are based on the official investigation, as reported by news agency Reuters.
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India has previously denied these allegations, reiterating its commitment to non-interference in the democratic processes of other nations. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “We strongly reject all such baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections.”
The investigation into foreign interference has strained relations between Canada and India, especially after Trudeau accused India of involvement in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. This led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from both nations and a brief halt in visa operations. Despite subsequent meetings between the foreign ministers of both countries, progress in diplomatic relations has been minimal.
