A public probe of foreign election interference should also look at India, Sikh organizations say

As former governor general David Johnston considers whether to recommend a public inquiry into Chinese government election meddling, groups representing Sikh Canadians say India's interference in Canadian politics also demands scrutiny.

"We don't feel like we as a nation, as a country, have even acknowledged India as a problem in that form," said Moninder Singh, acting spokesperson for the British Columbia Gurdwaras Council, which advocates for the political concerns of Sikhs in Canada.

"People, I think, in our government feel compelled to bend to a certain degree, to not piss India off."

Opposition parties have been calling on the federal government to announce a public inquiry into foreign election interference in response to Globe and Mail reports that say the Chinese Communist Party attempted to ensure the Liberal Party won a minority government in the 2021 election.

Reporting by Global alleges intelligence officials warned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the Chinese government's interference campaign included funding a "clandestine network of at least 11 federal candidates running in the 2019 election" — an allegation Trudeau has denied.

Last week, the government appointed Johnston to the role of "special rapporteur" investigating the accusations and said he could recommend a public inquiry.

The British Columbia Gurdwaras Council teamed up with the Ontario Gurdwaras Committee to publish a report Monday calling out alleged Indian interference in Canada's politics.

"These activities include infiltrating Sikh Gurdwaras, recruiting informants and agent provocateurs within the community, deceptively interjecting the Indian narratives into Canadian media reporting, and influencing Canadian diplomats, security officers and MPs," it reads.

"The ultimate goal of such operations has been to discredit Sikh support for the Khalistan movement in Canada."

The report urged the government to look at other countries' efforts to interfere in Canadian politics.

Singh said he wants a public inquiry to examine how India's intelligence sector uses consulates and embassies, and how they operate within diaspora communities.

"I think if it gets into the public domain, classifying India as a player on that, I think the first piece is acknowledging the problem. And only then can the problem be dealt with," he said.

Monday's report summarized multiple public reports and media stories over the years suggesting Canadian intelligence agencies have been aware of India's attempts to interfere in Canadian affairs.

A 2018 report by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) looked at tensions between Canada and India and made six findings regarding foreign interference — all of which were redacted from the public report.