Indian Foreign Interference: Canadian Gurdwara Bodies Publish Report

Amidst a backdrop of growing public conversation regarding foreign interference in Canada British Columbia Gurdwaras Council (BCGC) and Ontario Gurdwaras Committee (OGC) jointly released a public report today which documents Indian foreign interference and clandestine activities in Canada. So far public conversations in Canada have focused primarily on Chinese foreign interference, with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) calling such activities the “greatest strategic threat to national security”.

The detailed accounts in the report extensively cite Canadian media sources, Government officials, and security agencies which indicate that Indian intelligence agencies and diplomats have targeted Canadian media outlets with disinformation, electoral processes across the country, as well as a number of elected officials.

“Indian foreign interference not only impacts Sikhs as a racialized group by persuading governments to repress vulnerable communities, but it also emboldens Indian officials to continue interfering in foreign states with impunity while violating human rights in Punjab.”

While there has been particular attention paid to China and Russia in the context of foreign interference, the report argues that it is imperative for Canada pay even closer attention to supposed allies, like India, who actively seek to manipulate public discourse and policy in Canada to secure their own policy objectives. This is particularly important when Indian officials continue to make inflammatory public statements in a manner suggesting quid pro quo for criminalizing political expression that is contrary to Indian interests.

Download the full report