Indian foreign interference ‘continuing,’ say Liberal MPs

A Liberal MP whose riding has been the scene of suspected Indian government operations has denounced a senior official who claimed New Delhi had ceased its foreign interference campaign against Canada.

Sukh Dhaliwal, whose Surrey-Newton constituency was shocked by India’s alleged 2023 assassination of a local temple president, said the official was out of step with the community and national security agencies.

“I strongly condemn these statements made by this official because he’s not in touch with the realities on the ground,” the veteran MP told Global News in an interview at his riding office on Thursday.

“I’m dealing with the community and the victims almost on a regular basis. And this is totally irresponsible,” he said. “People across Canada, they are all coming to me and telling me the same thing, that this is still continuing.”

He said the official’s comments were at odds with Canada’s National Security Advisor, the RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, which he said made no statements indicating that Indian efforts had stopped.

As recently as the last federal election, Dhaliwal said he believes he was himself targeted by Indian foreign interference. But he said victims are reluctant to speak out, because they fear for their families in India.

“It’s very hard for them to come out and publicly speak. And basically, they are pressured, either diplomatically or forcibly,” said Dhaliwal, who was served in the riding south of Vancouver since 2015.

In a written statement, he called for an investigation into “the judgment and responsibilities exercised by the individual who made these remarks,” saying his “conduct and suitability for their role must be reviewed.”

A second Liberal MP, Parm Bains, released a similar statement on Friday rejecting the government official’s “attempt to downplay India’s involvement in transnational repression and violent criminal activity in Canada.”

“Such a claim undermines public safety, dismisses the tireless work of our security agencies, contradicts findings from the NSIA, RCMP, and CSIS, and raises serious concerns about the official’s continued suitability for their role.”

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The dispute over whether Indian foreign interference efforts continue erupted as Prime Minister Mark Carney was to arrive in Mumbai on Friday. He will then meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

On the eve of his visit, a senior government official said at a background briefing that India had halted the violence against opponents in Canada that prompted Ottawa to chill relations with Modi’s government.

The official, who spoke to reporters on the condition he would not be named, said, “We’re confident that that activity is not continuing or we would not be having this type of discussion.”

Pressed by reporters to clarify the comment, the senior official declined to elaborate, but said, “I really don’t think we’d be taking this trip if we thought these kind of activities would continue.”

The statement marked the first time Canada had claimed that Indian intelligence operations, which have been blamed for at least one murder, thwarted plots to kill pro-Khalistan activists and extortions, had halted.

Global News asked both the RCMP and CSIS whether they agreed with the Carney official’s comments. Neither directly answered the question.

The Prime Minister’s Office said security was the government’s top priority, but did not address Dhaliwal’s statement.

2:03 Police warn Canadian Sikh activist of threat to life ahead of Carney’s India visit

Coming as Carney is about to arrive in India in the hope of securing a trade deal to offset the current U.S. tariff agenda, the official’s claim has been met with skepticism, particularly among Canada’s Sikhs.

The World Sikh Organization of Canada called the official’s comment’s “utterly false” and said they did “not align with what Sikh Canadians are experiencing on the ground and what we are seeing firsthand.”

Just last weekend, Vancouver police warned Canadian Sikh activist Moninder Singh about an imminent threat to himself, his wife and their children. It is the fourth such warning he was received since 2022.

Writing on X, former CSIS analyst Jessica Davis said it seemed unlikely that Indian interference had stopped. “Either the government is naively believing India, or it is misleading Canadians,” she wrote.

Canada’s national security agencies believe India began a campaign in 2022 to kill activists in North America who support Khalistan, an independent state in the Sikh-majority Punjab region.

The first victim was allegedly Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot dead outside the Surrey, B.C. temple where he served as president. The RCMP believes India had gang boss Lawrence Bishnoi organize the killing.

The FBI uncovered a similar plot to kill a Canadian pro-Khalistan activist in New York. Again, India hired an organized crime figure to carry out the murder.

Bishnoi and his one-time Canadian lieutenant Goldy Brar are also believed to be behind at least some of the extortions that have spread fear in cities with large South Asian populations.

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme announced in October 2024 that India’s government had been linked to a broad array of violence, mostly targeting pro-Khalistan activists. Canada subsequently expelled six Indian diplomats.

But since taking office, Carney has restored, and deepened, ties with India, culminating in his first official visit to Mumbai and New Delhi this week.

NDP MP Heather McPherson said that while economic growth and trade diversification were important matters, the prime minister needed to prioritize safety and security.

“Mark Carney’s approach to India disregards warnings from law enforcement and the lived realities of Sikh Canadians who continue to face threats and intimidation,” she wrote on X.

Former Liberal MP Herb Dhaliwal said Carney’s priority should be bringing to justice those Indian officials who were involved in Nijjar’s murder.

“Justice and human rights are very important for Canadians,” he told podcaster Gurpreet Singh. “Your principles come before your profits.”

Despite his concerns, Dhaliwal said he believed Carney and Foreign Minister Anita Anand would make national security a priority during their meetings with India’s leadership.

“They have assured us that, you know, when it comes to a rule of law and Canadian lives, it takes priority and they raised it previously and they will raise it again,” he said.

Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca