Canada Warns Pakistan May Meddle In April 28 General Polls

Canada on Monday warned Pakistan may interfere in the country’s April 28 general polls in its attempt to counter India’s ‘growing global influence’.

“The government of Pakistan could potentially conduct foreign interference activities against Canada in line with its strategic aims to promote political, security and economic stability in Pakistan and to counter India’s growing global influence,” Vanessa Lloyd, the deputy director of operations at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), told a press conference as quoted by the media, a month before the general polls.

Alerts Against India, China, Russia

The Canadian official also warned that India can interfere in the polls to assert its geopolitical influence.

“We have also seen that the government of India has the intent and capability to interfere in Canadian communities and democratic processes to assert its geopolitical influence,” she was quoted as saying by The Canadian Press.

He said China can use Artificial Intelligence tools to execute its meddling attempts.

She said China is likely to turn to social media to promote narratives favourable to its interests and even target Chinese ethnic, cultural and religious communities in Canada using deceptive means.

Warning against Moscow, she said: “It is possible that Russia will use these online networks to opportunistically conduct foreign information manipulation and interference operations directed at Canadians.”

Canada’s New PM

Days after Mark Carney replaced Justin Trudeau as Canada’s Prime Minister, India on Friday blamed the latter for “the downturn in India-Canada relations” owing to the “licence given to extremists” in the country.

Canada’s Liberal Party leader Mark Carney took oath as the country’s new Prime Minister in Ottawa last week, succeeding Justin Trudeau.

An entirely new Cabinet was sworn in on March 14 after which both Ottawa and New Delhi now hope to rebuild ties, which have hit a historic low in recent times.

Responding to a question on Canada during a weekly press briefing, India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “The downturn in India-Canada relations was caused by the license that was given to the extremist and secessionist elements in the country.”

Shortly before taking oath as Prime Minister, Mark Carney had also expressed his eagerness in rebuilding ties with “like-minded countries”.

“What Canada will be looking to do is to diversify our trading relationships with like-minded countries – and there are opportunities to rebuild the relationship with India. There needs to be a shared sense of values around that commercial relationship, and once I am the prime minister, I look forward to the opportunity to build that,” he had said.

Strained India-Canada Relations

India and Canada’s tussle was triggered after ex-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian officials of being involved in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

India had then expelled six Canadian diplomats and asked them to leave the country after Ottawa said it was investigating the Indian ambassador and other diplomats as “persons of interest” in connection with the killing of a Sikh separatist leader last year.

Canada too asked six Indian diplomats to leave the country alleging that its police reportedly got hold of evidence that they claimed to be a part of an Indian government “campaign of violence”.

The Indian government had also decided to withdraw its High Commissioner in Canada after Ottawa’s accusations which the Modi government called an act of “vote bank politics”.

(With inputs from IBNS)