Canada can't brush aside security concerns about India, ex-intelligence adviser warns

“I get that we need to have a relationship with India. You have to work even with the countries that you find problematic,” Rigby said. “But you’ve got to be very, very careful not just to brush these national security issues aside.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in India on Friday for a four-day visit aimed at mending Canada’s frayed relationship with Narendra Modi’s government.

Asked during a pre-trip briefing with reporters whether agents acting on behalf of India are currently involved in extortion or violent threats, a federal official said this week that Ottawa is confident that sort of activity is no longer happening.

Those comments by the official, who was speaking on background, have prompted widespread skepticism.

Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal said on social media Thursday he firmly denounces the federal official’s remarks to reporters because they contradict assessments from Canadian security agencies.

There have long been deep tensions between India and Canada over elements of the Sikh community who are pushing for the creation of an independent homeland in the Punjab region.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh independence advocate and president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, was shot dead in June 2023 while leaving the temple’s parking lot in Surrey, B.C.

Four Indian nationals have been charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder in relation to Nijjar’s death.

In October 2024, Canada expelled six Indian diplomats and consular officials in connection to what the federal government called a targeted campaign against Canadian citizens by agents linked to the government of India.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service said in its most recent annual report that Canada must remain vigilant about India’s continued foreign interference within ethnic, religious and cultural communities, and in Canada’s political system.

Rigby said that although he has not seen the latest secret intelligence, he questions whether India has suddenly abandoned transnational repression tactics in Canada.

“It strains credibility a little bit … given my knowledge of how the Indian government operates in this space,” he said.

The federal government needs to spell out for Canadians the steps it is taking to engage with India and prevent future harm, Rigby added.

“I think you owe it to your own citizens to say, ‘Listen, this is what we’re doing right now. These are tough times. We have to move ahead with India. We do have concerns about what they’ve done in the past. We continue to have concerns (about) what they’re doing now, but we’re talking to the Indians about it,’” he said.

Stewart Prest, a political scientist at the University of British Columbia, said Carney’s determination to mend fences with India risks opening a “credibility gap” between what the government says and what Canadians are seeing.

Canada needs to find partners to work with around the world, given the tumultuous state of its relationship with the United States, Prest said.

“But I think there’s a risk of appearing to be too willing to overlook other real threats to Canadian sovereignty along the way,” he said.

Canada should be specific about threats and acknowledge that they exist, while placing them within the context of a broader, more complex relationship with India, Prest said.

“I think we’re still working and getting that balance right,” he added.

The Prime Minister’s Office said in a media statement Friday that Canada will continue to take measures to combat any forms of transnational repression and crime on Canadian soil.

“Respect for the ongoing law enforcement dialogue will continue to be the basis of our step-by-step approach to re-engagement with India,” the statement said.

The government says Canada and India have made substantial progress on initiatives aimed at supporting public safety and security, and recently agreed to establish security and law enforcement liaison officers.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said Thursday that there’s “a lot more work to do” to ensure agents of the Indian government are not coercing or intimidating people in Canada.

The RCMP said this week it continues to work on strengthening its relationship with India’s National Investigation Agency through engagements and ongoing dialogue.

“These relationships are fundamental to our ability to ensure Canada responds to global threats, as well as the overall safety and security of our country,” the Mounties said in a statement to The Canadian Press.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, who is travelling with Carney, would not comment on whether Indian interference is still happening. He said it’s important for Canada to stay engaged with India.

“We will have disagreements with various countries around the world that we still aspire to trade with, and even where those disagreements are (present), it’s important for us to not leave the conversation,” he said.

“If we just look back the last number of years, Canada and India have not been at that table having those discussions, and I would say from a trade perspective that we’ve fallen behind a number of other countries around the world.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 27, 2026.

— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Mumbai