Canada's Foreign Interference Inquiry Has Participating Sikh Groups Optimistic

"We have a chance here now to bring [the scale of Indian foreign interference] to light, and put questions to authorities on how much they know and what have they done about it."

Jaskaran Sandhu
March 13, 2024 | 7 min. read | Original Reporting

The Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions, headed by Justice Marie-Josée Hogue, is set to resume hearings in Ottawa during the final week of March. 

While initially aimed at investigating the actions of China and Russia during the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, the scope of the major Inquiry was expanded on January 24, 2024, a few days before it was to begin, to include India after concerns were raised about transnational repression and foreign interference targeting the Sikh Canadian community. 

On February 12, 2024, several Sikh organizations were granted party status in the Inquiry, including the World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO), the Ontario Gurdwara Committee (OGC), and the British Columbia Gurdwaras Council (BCGC). A rare and powerful designation that provides the Sikh community the ability to influence the outcomes of the proceedings. 

"Having party status allows you to participate, not just observe. When there are witnesses called by the Commission during the Inquiry, as a party you can ask questions of the witnesses. Not just listen off in the corner,” Moninder Singh, spokesperson for the BCGC, explains, “so you're fully involved…you also have access to the documents that are being provided for the Commission and the Inquiry."

The invitation came after a joint letter from the three organizations, sent on February 1, 2024, emphasized the importance of having Sikh voices heard during the Inquiry, considering the ample evidence of Indian interference in Canada. Together, they are formally referred to by the Commission as the “Sikh Coalition,” which is not to be confused with the American advocacy organization with the same name. 

“The Coalition explains that it would provide a necessary contribution to the Inquiry by offering information, expertise and a distinct perspective on the impact of Indian foreign interference on Sikhs in Canada and on the efficacy of Canadian responses and safeguards against foreign interference,” Commissioner Hogue wrote in a decision to grant party status to the three Sikh parties. 

She goes on to add that “I generally accept the submissions of the Coalition in its application and agree that as a broad representative of the Sikh diaspora in Canada, it has a substantial and direct interest in the subject matter of the Inquiry.”

Moninder Singh shares that is important to have Sikh voices at the table in order to understand the scope of India’s hand in undermining the Canadian democratic process. “From our perspective, the reason we wanted to put this application in jointly as a community is to dig further into India's role [in foreign interference],” he says.

Balpreet Singh, legal counsel and spokesperson for the WSO, tells Baaz that it is known in intelligence and government circles that India interferes in nominations, leadership races, and general elections at all levels of government in Canada. 

“We have a chance here now to bring this all to light, and put questions to authorities on how much they know, and what have they done about it. There have been many conversations in the past with decision makers about Indian threats to Canada’s democracy and the Sikh Canadian community, but those have always been held behind closed doors, away from public scrutiny.”

The coalition of Sikh organizations has been granted standing in both the factual phase and the policy phase of the Inquiry. This will allow them to actively participate in providing evidence and arguments related to the Inquiry's subject matter, including the ability to present evidence and cross-examine witnesses, as well as take part in discussions and decisions related to policy recommendations or changes that may arise from the Inquiry's findings.

"There's not enough in terms of frameworks to prevent foreign interference in Canadian elections and I think that's well recognized," Balpreet Singh says, stressing that the Inquiry offers an ability to gather and present more evidence, which should lead to material changes in how the Canadian government looks at foreign interference, including from India. 

“Raising [foreign interference] awareness with our elected officials is something we do regularly in our community,” he says, adding, however, that being able to raise these concerns on the record during the Inquiry provides a new opportunity to fight back against the issue.

"[The Inquiry is] going to assess things like the flow of information, intelligence to senior government decision-makers, and how they responded,” Moninder Singh says, sharing that the Inquiry will provide a chance to learn how security and intelligence sharing is done internally. 

"So this means that once they start reviewing data and information if CSIS or any other security agency had provided that to government officials, elected officials, ministries…how did they react? Did they react sufficiently and appropriately, or did they hide information, or did they not do anything with that information? So that will come out.”

This is important, Moninder Singh tells Baaz, because it will allow the Sikh community to “assess Canada's capacity to detect and deter and counter [Indian] interference." He goes on to add that “when you see that information firsthand [during the Inquiry] versus hearing about it months or years later, it makes a huge difference [in tackling the problem]."

The Coalition is also in the process of reaching out to and speaking with community members who have insights on the problem, in order to gather evidence and potential witnesses.

“A couple of [recent news] stories have highlighted that the Government of India has had representatives here in Canada put pressure on political parties. On what candidates to run, which candidates not to run. [The Indian Government is] using their proxies to support certain candidates, to fund certain candidates,” Balpreet Singh shares.

“We are reaching out to potential witnesses and experts to help shed more light on these instances of foreign interferences and other issues, both specifically and generally speaking,” he adds. 

A recent CBC Fifth Estate documentary, "Contract to Kill", looked into the involvement of India in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Najjar. They also highlighted findings from a CSIS report indicating India's interference in the Conservative Party of Canada through membership purchases for one unnamed leader while also undermining, Baaz had found in an exclusive, the Patrick Brown leadership campaign.

“I think with Hardeep Singh's assassination, the community understands now what is happening,” Moninder Singh suggests, adding that the incident has vindicated previous beliefs that India would go to any lengths to silence and counter Sikhs in Canada - from political interference to murder. 

Dan Stanton, Director of National Security at the University of Ottawa's Professional Development Institute, said India is a major player in foreign interference in Canada, but it is difficult to estimate the extent of that threat.

“India has interfered in Canada for quite some time,” he tells Baaz. 

“What we're seeing through the media is indications that over the last number of years, India has interfered in our political processes, perhaps to counter Liberal Party support within the Sikh community,” he adds.

An additional goal of the Coalition is to correct the misrepresentation and disinformation from India that attempts to paint Sikh human rights activists and Khalistan supporters as “extremists” or “terrorists” that need to be silenced by Canada.

“In particular, [India] maligned the Sikh community in describing them or trying to convince Canadians that they're all terrorists,” Stanton continues, “anyone who says the word, ‘Khalistan’, or anyone who speaks out against human rights violations in India and is from a Sikh background [is usually labelled as] terrorists, which isn't true.” 

The inclusion of India in the Inquiry follows longstanding concerns raised by Sikh organizations regarding Indian interference in Canadian affairs. 

“[W]e don't know how far India's foreign interference goes within Canada,” Moninder Singh states. 

He says the infiltration, pressure, and blackmailing of individuals and organizations, as well as even Punjabi ethnic media outlets, are tactics used to compel members of the diaspora to cooperate with the Indian Consulate - including in the electoral process. One way this is done is through the threat of banning visas to visit India. The Indian state is also spying on the community or meddling in Sikh affairs in Canada, he explains. 

As the Inquiry is primarily focusing on election interference, the success of the Sikh community in electoral politics has garnered a sharp reaction from the Indian government, the Coalition members believe. 

“The amount of disinformation coming out of India against Sikh politicians, advocates, and groups is rampant and another form of foreign interference in our democracy,” Balpreet Singh states, “this is done through various mediums, but primarily social media and Indian national outlets.”

Trudeau’s government had, at one point, four Sikh ministers. The leader of the NDP, Jagmeet Singh, is a Sikh. And, there are over a dozen Sikh MPs sitting in Parliament across party lines. India sees all of this as a risk, Sikh activists and organizers suggest, as those politicians may speak up on issues concerning the Sikh community’s grievances with India. 

“We know that politicians are also targeted in other ways, including through local organizations that are close to the Indian government and consulates in Canada,” Balpreet Singh states while pointing to a recent WSO and NCCM report on the RSS network in Canada. The RSS is the philosophical centre of the Sangh Parivar, a web of Hindu Nationalist groups including Modi’s governing BJP.

In the end, the Coalition believes in the need for transparency in Canada’s democratic process. Balpreet Singh sees the Inquiry as an important opportunity to ensure the Sikh experience is understood, and is optimistic of its outcomes.

“We'll be representing Sikh interests in this process, as well as ensuring that there's accountability for what’s already happened.”

Jaskaran Sandhu hails from Brampton, Canada, and is the co-founder of Baaz. He is a Strategist at the public affairs and relations agency State Strategy. Jaskaran also previously served as Executive Director for the World Sikh Organization of Canada and as a Senior Advisor to Brampton’s Office of the Mayor. You can find Jaskaran on Twitter at @JaskaranSandhu_

---

Baaz is home to opinions, ideas, and original reporting for the Sikh and Punjabi diaspora. Support us by subscribing. Find us on Twitter, Instagram, Threads, Facebook, and TikTok at @BaazNewsOrg.  If you would like to submit a written piece for consideration, please email us at editor@baaznews.org.