A panel probing alleged foreign interference in Canada asked the Trudeau government on Wednesday to share information about possible meddling by India in its elections.
The commission was set up by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government in September to conduct an inquiry into foreign meddling after reports of alleged Chinese attempts to influence elections. In a statement on Wednesday, the commission said that it had requested the Canadian government to provide documents “relating to alleged interference by India related to the 2019 and 2021 elections.”
“The commission will also examine the flow of information within the federal government in relation to these issues, evaluate the actions taken in response, assess the federal government’s capacity to detect, deter, and counter foreign interference, and make recommendations on these issues,” the commission said, according to Reuters.
The commission, led by Quebec Judge Marie-Josee Hogue, is charged with conducting an independent public inquiry into allegations of attempted foreign interference in Canadian affairs by China, Russia and others. It is expected to complete an interim report by May 3 and deliver its final report by the end of this year.
India and Canada
Ties between India and Canada have frayed in recent months over Canada’s allegations linking Indian agents to the murder of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia last year. India has rejected that allegation and asked Canada to furnish proof. Canadian authorities have yet to charge anyone with the killing.
Last month, High Commissioner Sanjay Verma said India’s approach right from the beginning was collaborative and wanted to deal with the concerns raised by Canada through diplomatic channels. “What we have been saying right from the beginning is that unless you share something specific and relevant with us, what do we look into? How do we help you?” Verma was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.
“Our approach right from the beginning was to deal with the entire issue through diplomatic channels, but at the same time, to have the information which could be relevant to this purpose and which could be specific to this purpose,” he said. He said that he would look forward to the resolution of the Nijjar case in Canada
(With agency inputs)
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