Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came under fire for his handling of allegations that implicated India in the killing of a separatist Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, on Canadian soil last year. Now, critics say he is turning a blind eye to alleged Chinese interference in Canadian politics while hounding India.
Before the Foreign Interference Commission, which was set up to investigate interference in the 2019 and 2021 elections, Trudeau described China’s targeting of Canadian MPs as merely “part of what diplomats do.”
Trudeau said Chinese diplomats divide Canadian parliamentarians into three categories, depending on their friendliness toward China, adding,
“This is not particularly revelatory or new information to me. It’s fairly obvious and a part of what diplomats do in all countries.”
With Canada’s intelligence agencies having presented evidence that China covertly interfered in the 2019 and 2021 federal election victories for Trudeau- he downplayed the importance of the interference.
The 2024 report from the Foreign Interference Commission blamed China as “the main perpetrator” of such interference. In a March report, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians listed China and Russia as the leading foreign threats, naming the People’s Republic of China as the biggest threat.
Conversely, days before his appearance at that commission, Trudeau had gone on the offensive against India without concrete hard evidence of wrongdoing against Indian diplomats. It was Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Mike Duheme who accused Indian officials of interference in Canada’s democratic processes.
Trudeau freely admitted that his government had no hard evidence to support the accusation against India but said Canada had asked for cooperation with India in further investigation. The incident triggered protests from the opposition, who claimed China had been involved in supporting Trudeau’s electoral victories. This increased pressure on the prime minister amidst heightened tensions with India.
