 "Is Justin Trudeau's anti-India move about China's interference in Canadian politics?")
Is Justin Trudeau’s anti-India move about China’s interference in Canadian politics?
Canada’s prime minister on Wednesday is set to testify before the federal inquiry for foreign interference for the second time.
Trudeau’s government had set up an inquiry commission into foreign interference claims in 2019 and 2021 elections in Canada.
The government defines foreign interference as “harmful activities undertaken by foreign states, or those acting on its behalf, that are clandestine, deceptive, or involve a threat to any person to advance the strategic objectives of those states to the detriment of Canada’s national interests.”
Relations between India and Canada have hit rock bottom after Ottawa informed New Delhi that it’s high commissioner and other diplomats were ‘persons of interest’ in the investigation into the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
India has downgraded relations with Canada and the two countries have expelled each other’s diplomats.
But what do we know about the inquiry? And is Trudeau’s move about Chinese interference?
Let’s take a closer look
What do we know about the inquiry?
The Trudeau government set up the inquiry in September 2023.
It was mandated to look into election interference by Russia, China, India and Pakistan.
Trudeau had previously ordered two closed-door probes in March 2023 after a growing chorus to investigate election interference claims by Beijing in the 2019 and 2021 polls, as per Globe and Mail.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsTrudeau had also announced ex- governor-general David Johnston as the special rapporteur.
Johnson, who released his report in May, said there was no need for a public inquiry.
However, the Opposition continued to demand for an independent and public inquiry. They also took Trudeau to task for his appointment of Johnston.
Johnston in June 2023 resigned his commission, saying the “highly partisan atmosphere around my appointment” made it impossible for him to carry out his duties.
This led to Trudeau buckling to public pressure and establishing the commission headed by Quebec Court of Appeal Justice Marie-Josée Hogue.
The commission began holding public hearings in January 2024.
As per BBC, the inquiry singled out China as a ‘main perpetrator’ of election interference.
It called foreign interference a “stain” on Canada’s electoral process.
It added that it undermined the right to a system free from “coercion or covert influence.”
Its report also found that China “stands out as a main perpetrator” of such interference.
However, it did not find that votes had been impacted.
“Our systems remain sound,” Hogue said at a press conference in May 2024. “Voters were able to cast their ballots, their votes were duly registered and counted, and there is nothing to suggest that there was any interference whatsoever in this regard.”
The commission’s report found that China “clandestinely leveraged” Ottawa’s officials to help their “favoured” candidate prevail in 2019.
Beijing did so by making Canada-based officials their “proxy agents” who excluded “political candidates perceived as ‘anti-China’ from attending” local election-related events, the report added.
It also stated that intelligence hints at least two transfer of funds of $250,000 from Chinese officials in Canada “possibly for foreign interference-related purposes,” as per BBC.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) at the inquiry accused China of “clandestinely and deceptively" interfering in both 2019 and the 2021 elections.
What did the report say about India?
The report quoted CSIS as saying that the Indian government used a proxy agent to carry out its activities which “were centred on a small number of electoral districts” to help pro-India candidates, as per BBC.
As per Indian Express, the report tabled in May said that “Indian officials, including Canada-based proxies, engage in a range of activities that seek to influence Canadian communities and politicians.”
The reliance on proxies – who interact with Indian intelligence officials and work at their behest – makes it hard to find a direct link between New Delhi and these activities, the report claimed.
“This largely looks at Canada-based supporters of an independent Sikh homeland (Khalistan).”
“India views part of these communities as fostering anti-India sentiment, which represents a threat to Indian stability and national security. India does not differentiate between lawful, pro-Khalistani political advocacy and the relatively small Canada-based Khalistani violent extremism. It views anyone aligned with Khalistani separatism as a seditious threat to India. Targets of Indian foreign interference are often members of the Indo-Canadian communities, but prominent non-Indo-Canadians are also subject to India’s foreign influence activities,” the report stated.
A body of intelligence indicates that Indian proxy agents may have attempted to interfere in democratic processes, reportedly including through the clandestine provision of illicit financial support to various Canadian politicians as a means of attempting to secure the election of pro-India candidates or gaining influence over candidates who take office. In some instances, the candidates may not even know that their campaigns received illicit funds,” the report added.
New Delhi has dismissed Ottawa’s allegations that it interfered in Canada’s elections.
What do experts say?
Some say that Trudeau is attacking India with an eye on his domestic politics and deflecting the role of China.
Pranab Dhal Samanta, writing for The Times of India, called Trudeau’s moves a “smokescreen behind which he wants to repair relations with China.”
“Itʼs soon becoming clear that whatʼs of consequence to Trudeau is the fact that besides helping him keep key Canadian-Sikh political allies like NDPʼs Jagmeet Singh within his fold, a strident anti-India position allows him to deflect the pressure he faces on Chinaʼs interference in Canadaʼs electoral process,” the pieces stated.
The article noted how Trudeau has sought to put India on equal footing with China even though the report itself tags China as the main perpetrator of election interference. It argued that this has to do with the 2019 and 2021 elections where Trudeau agreed that China interfered in the election, but denied that it had any impact on the polls. It noted that Trudeau’s party emerged as the single-largest during the elections.
“This seemingly well thought-out political strategy has allowed him to create space for resuming high-level engagement with Beijing a er his govt was forced to expel Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei last year for alleged intimidation of an opposition member of parliament from Conservative Party,” the piece contended.
A piece in Mint argued that Trudeau is getting ready to ‘unilaterally indict India.’
“If it was such an open and shut case on Nijjar as Justin Trudeau has been carping, then why has the investigating agency, Royal Mounted Canadian Police, filed a charge-sheet ? Why has the Canadian government not shared any evidence linking Indian agents with murder of the Khalistan Tiger Force terrorist?,” it quoted a top diplomat as saying.
“It is quite evident that in pursuit of Khalistani votes in Canada, Trudeau will use the statements of counsel for proscribed SFJ to Foreign Interference Commission to indict India as inquiry did not allow any counter-view organization to join the public hearing,” the piece argued.
“It is a one-sided inquiry….a sham….and the whole idea is to defame India and its government,” a top security official added.
Officials have argued that Trudeau is trying to change the narrative away from China interfering in Canada’s elections.
“The effort seems to be a counter to the damning perception by manufacturing a narrative that it was India which was meddling in internal affairs,” Times of India quoted a source as saying.
“Insinuations and show of righteous indignation cannot be a substitute for evidence,” another source added.
“In contrast, we have shared incontrovertible evidence of terrorists like Nijjar and his sympathisers using Canada as their base. We cited specific instances of crimes with dates and other details so strong that they had to acknowledge Nijjar’s involvement in terror activities,” the source said.
With inputs from agencies
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