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GOLDSTEIN: Mark Carney government all over the map on foreign interference by India

The safety of Canadians should never be sacrificed in the name of trade

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What in heaven’s name is going on in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government with regard to the threat posed to Canada’s national security by India?

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It’s as if the Liberals have learned nothing from the foreign interference inquiry in which Justice Marie-Josee Hogue concluded, “the government has proven to be a poor communicator and insufficiently transparent when it comes to foreign interference.”

GOLDSTEIN: Mark Carney government all over the map on foreign interference by India Back to video

Indeed, if the issue wasn’t so serious, it would be farcical, given that claims about the threat India poses to Canada within Carney’s government are all over the map.

It’s reasonable to conclude this is happening at least in part because Carney is trying to reset Canada-India relations in order to expand trade, after they reached a low-point under Justin Trudeau

That said, the safety of Canadians should never be sacrificed in the name of trade.

In September 2023, Trudeau accused India of the extra-judicial killing of Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in B.C., a supporter of an independent Sikh homeland, who was regarded as a terrorist by India.

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India denied the accusation, but a year later it resulted in India and Canada expelling each other’s diplomats.

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On Friday, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme told CTV‘s Vassy Kapelos on Question Period that there are no longer any clandestine activities or transnational repression taking place in Canada linked to the government of India, or for that matter, apparently, any foreign country.

“In the files that we have that involve transnational repression, we’re not seeing any connection right now with any foreign entity, based on the criminal information, the investigations that we have presently,” Duheme said.

“What we have in our holdings is … people that are intimidating people, harassing people, but connecting the dots to a foreign entity, regardless of the country, we don’t have that.”

By contrast, in October 2024, Duheme told CBC‘s David Cochrane on Power and Politics that the RCMP had “strong evidence” linking a campaign of violence in Canada to the “highest levels” of the Indian government.

“We do have strong evidence – not intelligence, but evidence – that this goes all the way up to the highest level,” Duheme said.

CSIS recently alleged India remains a threat

On March 1, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service told the National Post that India remains one of the main perpetrators of foreign interference and espionage against Canada.

“CSIS’s threat assessment of the main perpetrators of foreign interference and espionage against Canada has not changed,” CSIS spokesperson Eric Balsam told the National Post.

On Feb. 5, CSIS Director Dan Rogers, testifying before a parliamentary committee, cited “China, Russia, India and others” as countries the agency has called out for being the most active perpetrators of foreign interference targeting Canada.

That position flew in the face of comments by a senior government official on Feb. 25 during a background briefing with reporters prior to Carney’s recent trip to India, who said the government believed India no longer posed a security threat to Canada.

“We have a very robust diplomatic engagement, including between national security advisers, and I think we can say we’re confident that that activity is not continuing or we would not be having this type of discussion,” said the official who, under the rules of background briefings, could not be named.

“I really don’t think we’d be taking this trip if we thought these kind of activities would continue.”

In the wake of that, India’s high commissioner to Canada, Dinesh K. Patnaik, said his country had never engaged in foreign interference against Canada.

“It’s not a question of ‘it is no longer happening.’ It never happened,” he said. “It’s a problem Canada has to resolve itself. We are there to help you.”

By contrast, Carney and his cabinet ministers backed away from what their own senior official had told the media.

Asked about the official’s comments, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said: “There are certainly issues around safety and security of Canadians that we continue to engage in (with India).”

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said: “The words of the senior official are not words that I personally would use.”

Questioned later while on his foreign trip, Carney used similar language saying: “I would not use those words … our approach… is one of vigilance and engagement. We have made progress, but regardless of the progress that has been made … it is our responsibility to have both aspects.”

The foreign interference inquiry in its final report last year, identified India as second only to China in attempts to interfere in Canada’s electoral process.

lgoldstein@postmedia.com

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