News Brief
China Interfered In Two National Elections Won By Justin Trudeau, India Didn't: Canadian Spy Agency
Canada and China (Representative image)
Canada's domestic spy agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), has declared that China clandestinely interfered in the nation's last two elections won by the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as per reports by TOI.
A document titled Briefing to the Prime Minister’s Office on Foreign Interference Threats to Canada’s Democratic Institutions, prepared by CSIS, stated, "We know that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) clandestinely and deceptively interfered both in the 2019 and 2021 general elections."
It also added that a panel of senior Canadian officials monitoring the 2021 elections in the country were not informed of any attempt by India at influencing those national polls.
Earlier, according to an unclassified summary by CSIS, both India and Pakistan were accused in meddling during the 2019 and 2021 general elections in Canada.
However, India has vehemently denied involvement in such activities in Canada.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had stated, "We strongly reject baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections. It is not our policy to meddle in other countries' democratic processes ... In fact, Canada has been interfering in our internal affairs."
During the hearings, CSIS also mentioned Russia and Iran for alleged foreign interference in Canada.
But China remains the primary player in such activities, according to Canadian authorities.
Under pressure from opposition legislators concerned about media reports regarding China's potential involvement, Trudeau established a commission to investigate foreign interference.
The commission was presented with a slide containing an excerpt from a February 2023 briefing from CSIS confirming China's interference in the 2019 and 2021 elections.
Trudeau is scheduled to testify before the commission, with the opposition advocating for stronger measures to address Chinese interference.
Meanwhile, the Chinese embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comments regarding the CSIS statement.
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