(Image source from: REUTERS)
On Monday, Canada indicated that Pakistan might attempt to influence its general election scheduled for April 28 as a means of countering India’s increasing impact on the global stage. Vanessa Lloyd, who serves as the deputy director of operations at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), expressed concerns that Islamabad could engage in foreign interference efforts aimed at Canada. During a press conference, she stated, "The Pakistani government might align such activities with its strategic goals of ensuring political, security, and economic stability within Pakistan while also addressing India's expanding international clout." Additionally, Ms. Lloyd noted that India might also seek to interfere in the electoral process. "It's been noted that the Indian government possesses both the intent and the ability to meddle in Canadian democratic systems and communities to reinforce its geopolitical power," she remarked.
Similar accusations were leveled against both nations by Canada last year, an assertion that India firmly denied. In April 2024, the spy agency released an unclassified report as part of a federal investigation into possible foreign interference, which suggested that both India and Pakistan had conducted "clandestine" operations during the general elections of 2021 and 2019. The agency claimed that in 2021, the Indian government focused on specific electoral districts identified as having Indian-origin voters who might be sympathetic to the Khalistani movement or pro-Pakistan viewpoints. Moreover, it suggested that a proxy associated with the government could have secretly attempted to influence democratic outcomes by providing undisclosed financial support to selected candidates.
In another report, the spy agency accused Pakistan of covert efforts to sway federal-level politics prior to the 2019 election to further its own interests. India subsequently labeled the investigation as "baseless," asserting that Canada was the one interfering in its domestic concerns. Tensions between the two countries escalated when former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged India's involvement in the assassination of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India rejected this claim as "absurd." Beyond India and Pakistan, Canada's intelligence agency noted that interference could also come from China and Russia, a point raised by Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday.
"The People's Republic of China is likely to employ AI-driven tools to attempt to disrupt Canada’s democratic processes in this upcoming election," Vanessa Lloyd informed the media. She further indicated that Beijing is "highly likely" to utilize social media platforms to propagate narratives that align with its interests, specifically targeting Canadian communities that are Chinese in ethnicity, culture, or religion through "clandestine and deceptive" tactics. Additionally, she mentioned that Russia has been working to create "dissemination networks" on social media and news sites aimed at amplifying messages consistent with Kremlin perspectives. "It is conceivable that these online networks will be used by Russia to opportunistically execute operations that manipulate and interfere with Canadian information," Ms. Lloyd concluded.
