Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Calgary on Monday to attend the G7 Leaders meeting taking place in Kananaskis, Alta.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the final day of the G7 summit, Canada’s spy agency warned that New Delhi remains a persistent foreign interference threat to this country.
In its annual report to Parliament, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service also identified China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan as the main perpetrators of foreign interference.
The report was tabled in Parliament on Friday but CSIS said it will not be published on its website until Wednesday, the day after the summit concludes.
Prime Minister Mark Carney invited his Indian counterpart to the G7 summit over the objections of Sikh organizations and human-rights activists, who have held demonstrations in Alberta over Mr. Modi’s presence.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Alberta was a 'necessary' step toward rebuilding bilateral relations. He refused to say whether he directly raised the accusations that Indian state agents were behind the murder of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar near Vancouver two years ago.
The Canadian Press
Mr. Carney appeared unbothered by the criticism. After they held a bilateral meeting Tuesday, the two leaders announced that they would designate new high commissioners and restore regular diplomatic services to citizens in both countries.
In 2024, Canada expelled the High Commissioner and five other diplomats over the 2023 killing of Sikh separatist activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C.
Former prime minister Justin Trudeau and the RCMP have said there was evidence linking agents of the Modi government to the slaying. India denied any role and responded with similar diplomatic expulsions.
Mr. Carney declined to tell reporters whether he raised the kiling of Mr. Nijjar during his one-on-one meeting Tuesday with Mr. Modi at the G7 in Kananaskis, Alta.
The Carney government is determined to diversify trade away from the United States, and India as well as China are huge markets.
A year after Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s death, mysteries remain about how he really lived
Relations with China have also been cool since the 2018 arrest of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. This year, China levied countertariffs of 100 per cent on canola oil, canola meal and peas as well as a 25-per-cent tariff on pork and seafood after Ottawa imposed hefty tariffs on Chinese-made EVs.
Still Mr. Carney recently reached out to his Chinese counterpart in an attempt to improve relations.
At the conclusion of the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta., all the leaders issued a statement that condemned all forms of state-sponsored transnational repression, including targeted assassinations.
The statement, signed off by the leaders of Canada, the U.S., Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Japan, said they are “deeply concerned by growing reports of transnational repression” where states or their proxies “attempt to intimidate, harass, harm or coerce individuals or communities outside their borders.”
The statement made no mention of India but said transnational repression “undermines national security, state sovereignty, the safety and human rights of victims, and principles of international law.”
The G7 leaders added they intended to develop “concrete strategies for protecting those who are targeted,” build “global understanding” of the threat and launch a G7 transnational repression detection academy to counter the phenomenon.
Opinion: Danielle Smith has put out the welcome mat for foreign interference in Canada
In its report to Parliament, CSIS said the investigation into the gangland-style slaying of Mr. Nijjar continues and said the links between “the government of India and the Nijjar murder signals a significant escalation of India’s repression efforts against the Khalistan movement and a clear intent to target individuals in North America.”
CSIS said Mr. Modi’s Hindu nationalist agenda includes using Canada-based proxy agents that seek to influence the South Asian community and politicians. India’s pressure tactics and targeting play a central role in New Delhi’s activities in Canada, the report said.
“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.
On Russia, CSIS said the Russian Intelligence Service has targeted Canada with hostile acts that include espionage, sabotage and foreign-influence operations.
While CSIS did not identify what possible sabotage acts Russia attempted, the spy service said Moscow believes it is now in direct conflict with NATO member countries, including Canada.
“Canada is considered a legitimate target in the Kremlin’s eyes and has been the subject of operational planning in relation to potential sabotage operations,” the report said.
CSIS noted that Moscow has sponsored a “series of violent sabotage operations across Europe” where RIS-paid operatives have carried out break-ins and arson at factories and critical national infrastructure.
CSIS said RIS has also been targeting the Arctic but provided no further details.
As in previous annual reports, CSIS singled out China as the “greatest counter-intelligence threat” to Canada, saying Chinese spies or proxies offer financial incentives to gain access to classified government documents or proprietary information.
China uses clandestine and deception tactics to steal intellectual property, most notably in the fields of artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology and Canadian aerospace.
Beijing’s Ministry of Public Security and United Front Work Department are also active in recruiting people to spy on Canadians, who are outspoken critics of the People’s Republic of China.
“This kind of foreign interference can include coercing a victim to return to the PRC, or threatening their family members in China,” the report said.
Pakistan was identified as a country that engages in foreign interference by attempting to “clandestinely affect the selection of politicians and candidates, who are perceived to be more pro-Pakistan than pro-India,” the report said.
The report noted that Iran uses criminal groups to carry out murder plots around the world against its critics. CSIS said it continues to investigate credible “threats to life” emanating from Iran.
In 2024, The Globe and Mail reported that Canadian law-enforcement authorities thwarted an alleged plot by Iran to assassinate former Liberal justice minister Irwin Cotler, a human-rights advocate and critic of the clerical regime.