Achi news desk-
Canada’s public safety minister says that “very soon” legislation will be introduced to strengthen the measures used to combat foreign interference, but adds that he is confident in the safeguards that already exist and the agencies that oversee them.
On Friday, the issue of foreign intervention was renewed in the public eye on several fronts. The commissioner overseeing the investigation into foreign attempts to interfere in Canada’s last two elections released an interim report that found those attempts undermined the rights of Canadian voters because they “tainted the process” and eroded public trust, even though they did not change the overall results.
Commissioner Marie-José Hogg stressed that Ottawa needs to “work hard” to restore that trust by informing Canadians about the threat of foreign interference and also taking “real, concrete steps” to identify and deter it.
Hours after that report was published, the RCMP announced it had arrested three Indian nationals accused of murder and conspiracy in the 2023 BC killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijar, whom India had declared a “terrorist.” The federal government said there were “credible allegations of a potential link” between Niger’s death and Indian government agents.
Global News reported that Niger had been warned by Canadian intelligence and security service officers that “professional assassins” were after him, and that India had tried to get the RCMP to arrest Niger on allegations deemed unreliable.
Asked if he was still confident in Canada’s security and intelligence services after they failed to prevent Niger’s death, and following Hogg’s interim report, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said yes. He also defended the actions the government has taken so far to strengthen their capacity of those agencies to fight foreign threats.
“We think we implemented a series of measures that were effective,” he told Mercedes Stephenson in an interview broadcast on Sunday in The Western Bloc. “Can they be strengthened? Can they develop based on the recommendations of the Hoge report? Of course they can.”
LeBlanc rejected suggestions that Hogg blamed the Liberals for not doing enough, but said the government would take more action.
“I announced in the House of Representatives on Friday our intention to soon introduce legislation that will strengthen our ability to identify and disrupt foreign interference,” he said. “So in terms of your question about strengthening legislative measures, I hope that in the coming days I will be able to talk about the details of this legislation as soon as it is presented in parliament.”
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LeBlanc did not say whether the legislation would include establishing a foreign agent registry, a move first announced more than a year ago but rejected by further consultations.
The minister said he had not discussed the Nijar murder investigation with his Indian counterpart before or after Friday’s arrests. According to him, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in regular contact with the Indian government.
“I don’t know what I would say (to my colleague) about an ongoing police investigation or criminal proceeding,” he said.
He did say he understands the concerns of Canada’s Indian diaspora and other diaspora communities, including the Jewish and Muslim communities, about increased threats to their security from their home governments and other threat actors. He said the government is working with communities to ensure they feel safe.
However, he rejected suggestions that Canada is seen by those actors as a place with impunity to carry out election interference and assassinations, or that Canada is weaker on the issue than the US, where authorities foiled an assassination attempt also linked to the Indian government.
“I would think if you saw the arrests that were made on Friday … it’s the exact opposite of impunity,” he said. “The RCMP are very active and doing a very good job in this regard.
“I think what we have seen is a first step in holding accountable those who allegedly murdered a Canadian citizen. And this work continues.”
The public accusations against India for its alleged role in killing Niger have threatened a potential strategic alliance for Canada, which is seeking a broader Indo-Pacific strategy against China.
Dan Stanton, a former director of operations for the Canadian Defense Intelligence Service, told Stephenson in a separate interview that aired on The Western Bloc That Canada, unlike the US, is stuck in the “critical conundrum” of trying to hold India accountable while simultaneously pursuing a diplomatic and economic partnership.
“The Americans basically moved on,” he said. “They recognize the importance of relations with India (while) they are still responsible for them, as Saudi Arabia is progressing.
“Canada, as a middle power, we don’t have much leverage.”
While some form of justice may be served to Niger’s family by prosecuting the alleged killers, Stanton added, Canada will have a much harder time getting India to acknowledge its potential involvement.
“I don’t have much hope for that,” he said.
– with files from Global’s Touria Izri, Alex Boutilier and Stewart Bell
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
