Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (left) welcoming Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G-7 Leaders’ Summit on June 17. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

India is a perpetrator of foreign interference, Canada’s intelligence agency says

TORONTO – India is a perpetrator of foreign interference, Canada’s intelligence agency said in a report published on June 18, 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productive talks on June 17 at the Group of 7 (G-7) summit in Alberta and agreed to reinstate top diplomats they had withdrawn in 2024.

Mr Carney drew outrage from some members of Canada’s Sikh community when he invited Mr Modi to the G-7.

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.

Mr 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.

“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. REUTERS

Join ST’s Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

OTTAWA — Indian officials and their proxy agents in Canada engage in a range of activities that seek to influence Canadian communities and politicians, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said Wednesday in its annual report.

OTTAWA — Indian officials and their proxy agents in Canada engage in a range of activities that seek to influence Canadian communities and politicians, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said Wednesday in its annual report.

When such activities are deceptive, clandestine or threatening, they are deemed to be foreign interference, the report says.

“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 report says.

It goes on to say that the re-election of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will mean India’s political course will continue to follow the Hindu-nationalist policy agenda implemented since Modi was first elected in 2014.

“Modi and his core ministers and advisers are keen to build India’s global influence and counter any activity they consider as ‘anti-India,’ at home or abroad, in the name of domestic stability and prosperity,” the CSIS report reads.

“With that considered, there is a long history of India arguing that Canada is a haven for ‘anti-India’ activity, with the separatist Khalistan movement being a particular focus of India’s concern, which is rooted in the aftermath of the 1985 Air India bombing and subsequent terrorist activity in India.”

The report comes as Canada renews diplomatic ties with India after Prime Minister Mark Carney met with Modi at the G7 in Kananaskis, Alta., on Tuesday. The two countries agreed to reappoint their respective high commissioners.

In October 2024, Canada expelled consular officials and six Indian diplomats — including the high commissioner, when they refused to co-operate with a police investigation alleging agents of the Indian government ran a targeted campaign of criminal violence and harassment against Canadian citizens.

India responded by expelling six Canadian diplomats, including the acting high commissioner. Both high commissioner positions have been vacant since then.

A year before the diplomats were expelled, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau and the RCMP said they have credible evidence linking agents of the Indian government to the 2023 murder of Canadian Sikh-activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C.

Wednesday was the second anniversary of his murder.

Four Indian nationals have been charged with first degree murder and the court process is ongoing.

At a news conference in Kananaskis on Tuesday night, Carney would not answer a question about whether he raised Nijjar’s killing with Modi.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said Canada has had “difficult conversations” with the Indian government and that will continue.

“There is no way in which a third country can come into Canada and implement, using proxies, be involved in the murder of a Canadian. And we have expressed our concerns over many months, and we will continue to do so,” Anandasangaree said at the conclusion of the Liberal caucus meeting on Wednesday. “It is an independent investigation that’s been undertaken by the RCMP, and I think we need to wait until they complete that work.”

Anandasangaree said that the government condemns any attempt at foreign interference in Canada, and the RCMP’s investigation into Nijjar’s killing will remain an independent process.

B.C. Premier David Eby said Tuesday he wants to see the Lawrence Bishnoi gang designated as a terrorist group. The RCMP have said the gang targets Sikh-separatist activists in Canada on behalf of the Indian government.

Eby said Tuesday that the gang had been linked to extortions and other crimes against South Asian community members in B.C., Alberta and Ontario.

Anandasangaree said the federal government has not yet received a formal request from Eby but he looks forward to discussing it further with the premier.

The minister said that security officials continually assess which groups could be added to Canada’s terrorist list. He would not say if the Bishnoi gang is currently up for consideration.

“This doesn’t mean it’s an active file right now, but I will say that at all times, our security apparatus will assess the threats and whether they meet the legal threshold that’s in the Criminal Code for the listing,” Anandasangaree said.

— With files from Darryl Greer and Nono Shen in Vancouver

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2025.

David Baxter and Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press

Canada’s spy agency has warned that the assassination in British Columbia of a prominent Sikh activist signaled a “significant escalation in India’s repression efforts” and reflects a broader, transnational campaign by the government in New Delhi to threaten dissidents.

The report was made public a day after Mark Carney shook hands with Narendra Modi at the G7 and pledged to restore diplomatic relations in a very public attempt to turn the page on the bitter diplomatic row unleashed by the murder of the Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

The meeting prompted immediate backlash from members of the Sikh community, who warned that the resumption of diplomatic ties “must not come at the expense of justice and transparency”.

In its annual report to parliament, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said on Wednesday that India, China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan were the perpetrators of foreign interference efforts.

“Indian officials, including their Canada-based proxy agents, engage in a range of activities that seek to influence Canadian communities and politicians. When these activities are deceptive, clandestine or threatening, they are deemed to be foreign interference,” the report said. “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 report singled out the killing of Nijjar in the British Columbia city of Surrey two years ago, noting investigators had established a “link between agents of the Government of India and criminal networks to sow violent activity in South Asian communities in Canada”.

Since becoming prime minister last year, Carney has sought to restore relations with India, which cratered after his predecessor accused the Modi government of orchestrating the high-profile assassination. Four Indian nationals living in Canada have been charged with Nijjar’s murder.

India temporarily stopped issuing visas in Canada and, soon after, Canada expelled six senior diplomats, including the high commissioner, Sanjay Verma. India retaliated by ordering the expulsion of six high-ranking Canadian diplomats, including the acting high commissioner.

Carney invited Modi to the G7 summit over the objections of Sikh organizations and human-rights activists as well as lawmakers from within his own party, framing the decision as pragmatic step to restore engagement with one of the world’s largest economies.

At the time, Carney said there was a “legal process that is literally under way and quite advanced in Canada”.

In a joint statement at the conclusion of the G7 summit in Alberta, leaders of Canada, the US, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Japan said they were “deeply concerned by growing reports of transnational repression” amid efforts to “intimidate, harass, harm or coerce individuals or communities outside their borders”.

The statement did not name India.

Following the meeting, Carney’s office said the two leaders had agreed to return high commissioners to each other’s capital “with a view to returning to regular services to citizens and businesses in both countries”.

Modi said Canada and India were “dedicated to democratic values” and that the relationship between the two countries was “very important in many ways”.

But Carney declined to tell reporters whether he raised the killing of Nijjar during the encounter.

Sikhs for Justice, an advocacy organization calling for the establishment of a Sikh homeland in India, issued a statement on Wednesday calling on Carney to provide specifics of his meeting.

“Did Prime Minister Carney question Narendra Modi about the role of Indian agents in the assassination of Shaheed Hardeep Singh Nijjar – yes or no?” said Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, chief legal counsel for SJF.

Pannun was listed as a key target for India’s campaign of violence and an attempt on his life was foiled by US federal agents.

“Accountability for Nijjar’s killing cannot be sidestepped in the name of diplomacy or trade. Diplomatic normalization with the Modi regime must not come at the expense of justice and transparency,” he said.

British Columbia’s premier, David Eby, announced on Tuesday that he had asked Carney’s government to designate an Indian criminal gang implicated in the Nijjar killing as a terrorist organization in order to help police tackle extortion cases targeting south Asian businesses in the region.

“There are allegations that gangs in India are operating here in our province, and in other provinces, to intimidate and extort business owners,” Eby told reporters.

The Bishnoi gang – led by Lawrence Bishnoi from an Indian jail cell – was named by the RCMP as playing a possible role in violent crimes on Canadian soil that have led to diplomatic tensions between Canada and India.

“This is a serious step,” Eby said. “We don’t make this recommendation lightly, but this activity strikes at public confidence in the justice system, in our democracy.”

Good morning. After U.S. President Donald Trump made his trademark early exit from the G7 summit on Monday, the cast of characters filled out its ranks with some new arrivals, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

If you squint a bit, you can see the symbolism here — Trump literally turning his back on allies, forcing Canada to shore up economic ties with non-U.S. countries, even those that represent foreign interference threats. More on that below, plus other G7 news. But first, some non-G7 headlines:

In other news

Data: 23andMe did not protect customers’ data, Canadian and British watchdogs find

Investment: Canada has a chance to attract new capital amid U.S. market turmoil, the head of Canada’s largest pension fund manager says

Banking: A former top U.S. consumer finance regulator said TD Bank could have lost its licence to operate in the U.S. after it pled guilty to committing money laundering last year

Fraud: David Rosenberg says ‘pump and dump’ scam using his name bilked victims out of hundreds of thousands

On our radar

Today: Tiff Macklem, Governor of the Bank of Canada, will speak before the St. John’s Board of Trade.

Tiff Macklem, Governor of the Bank of Canada, will speak before the St. John’s Board of Trade. Tomorrow: U.S. markets will be closed for Juneteenth.

U.S. markets will be closed for Juneteenth. Notable earnings include Aurora Cannabis Inc.

Open this photo in gallery: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomes Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alta., on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl DyckDARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press

In focus

The blurred line between friend and foe

For the second time, Trump has bailed early from a G7 summit on Canadian soil. He stormed out of the 2018 meeting in Charlevoix, Que., over a disagreement over tariffs, calling former prime minister Justin Trudeau “dishonest and weak” on Twitter on his way out.

This time, the public drama was kept to a minimum as Trump left a day early to deal with the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. But there would be no breakthrough on trade with Canada, just a vague commitment to continue negotiating with the aim of striking an economic and security deal within 30 days.

Enter Modi. During his first trip to Canada in a decade, the Indian PM and Canadian Prime Minister Carney agreed to designate new high commissioners and restore regular diplomatic services to citizens in both countries.

Canada and India had a serious falling out in 2023 over the killing of Canadian Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which Trudeau accused the Indian government of being involved with.

So, some were outraged when Carney invited his Indian counterpart to the G7. In Calgary, Sikh organizations and human-rights activists have been leading protests.

Others say it’s time for Canada to reset its relations with India, which is the world’s fifth largest economy and is, in Carney’s words, “at the very centre of global supply chains.”

Earlier this month, former prime minister Stephen Harper said Canada needs “enlightened partners” such as India to thrive in a world where the rules-based trade order is being replaced by “something much more akin to survival of the fittest and the triumph of the strongest.”

For starters, Canada should resume the trade negotiations with India that were put on hold two years ago, Jeff Mahon of consulting firm StrategyCorp, and a former deputy director at Global Affairs Canada’s China Division, writes in The Globe.

“For too long, foreign policy was treated as fodder for domestic politics,” he said. Canada “politicized foreign policy and sacrificed the national interest for short-term domestic political points.”

Same goes for Canada’s relationship with China.

Though China has no seat at the G7 table, it too has a frayed trade relationship with Canada that ought to be seen through a different lens, Mahon said.

Everyone seems to agree that Canada needs to forge stronger overseas ties to reorient the national economy. But the real growth isn’t going to originate in Europe, Mahon said. Instead, Canada’s fortunes lie with China and India.

“Nuanced vision is needed because the world is complicated.”

Just how complicated it is was reinforced by a new warning from Canada’s spy agency. In its annual report to Parliament, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service identified India as one of the main perpetrators of foreign interference, The Globe’s Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife writes.

“Canada must remain vigilant about continued foreign interference conducted by the government of India, not only within ethnic, religious and cultural communities, but also in Canada’s political system,” CSIS said.

More G7 reading

Charted

Debt Becomes Us

Canadian households are among the most indebted in the developed world. At more than 100 per cent of GDP, household debt in Canada has dramatically outpaced countries like Britain and the U.S. over the past 15 years. Why? Like so much else in this country’s economy, the problem can be linked to Canada’s housing boom. “The numbers clearly point to housing unaffordability as a major driver of household debt in Canada,” says Hanif Bayat, CEO of personal finance site WOWA.ca, writing for The Globe.

Bookmarked

On our reading list

Watch: A new Netflix documentary revisits Rob Ford’s chaotic reign as mayor of Toronto.

Stretch: Why men aren’t getting a warm welcome at the Pilates studio.

Morning update

Global markets traded cautiously as escalating Middle East hostilities and uncertainty ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s monetary policy decision prompted investors to hold back on fresh bets. Wall Street futures were mixed, while TSX futures edged higher.

Overseas, the pan-European STOXX 600 was down 0.4 per cent in morning trading. Britain’s FTSE 100 slipped 0.1 per cent, Germany’s DAX declined 0.37 per cent and France’s CAC 40 gave back 0.26 per cent.

In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei closed 0.9 per cent higher, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.12 per cent.

The Canadian dollar traded at 73.18 U.S. cents.