India has firmly rejected a Canadian report accusing the Indian government of attempting to meddle in Canada's 2021 elections.
The Canadian Commission's inquiry, which comes amid growing tensions between the two countries, alleges that India may have used 'proxy agents' to covertly support preferred candidates in the election.
The report, led by Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue, claims that India is the second most active country 'engaging' in electoral interference in Canada.
It also accuses India of employing 'disinformation' as a form of foreign interference.
The inquiry alleges that the Indian government attempted to provide financial backing to certain candidates via proxy agents during the 2021 election.
However, it did not find any evidence of Canadian parliamentarians collaborating with foreign governments to influence the elections.
In a strongly-worded rebuttal, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) dismissed the allegations as "insinuations" and accused Canada of consistently interfering in India’s internal affairs.
"It is in fact Canada which has been consistently interfering in India's internal affairs. This has also created an environment for illegal migration and organised criminal activities. We reject the report’s insinuations on India and expect that the support system enabling illegal migration will not be further countenanced," the MEA statement read.
The Canadian report also touched upon growing tensions between the two countries over India's concerns about Khalistani separatism.
These concerns have been a point of friction, particularly following the 2023 murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which Canada alleged involved Indian agents.
India has since expelled several Canadian diplomats in response.
This latest report is another significant point of contention between the two nations, further escalating the diplomatic standoff over the issue of foreign interference and national security concerns.
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