Explained : Minister says there’s ‘a lot more work to do’ with India after Canadian official says it’s no longer a threat and Its Impact

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree says there’s still a lot of work to do on the India security file — a day after a senior government official said Ottawa no longer believes the country is linked to foreign interference and transnational repression.

“There are certainly issues around safety and security of Canadians that we continue to engage in,” Anandasangaree said after an event near Parliament Hill on Thursday morning.

The official, who was speaking on the condition that they not be named as part of a briefing to reporters in advance of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s trade trip this week, said repeatedly that it’s the government’s belief India has changed its ways. 

“I think we could say we’re confident that that activity is not continuing,” the official said. “If we believed that the government of India was actively interfering in the Canadian democratic process, we probably would not be taking this trip.”

Anandasangaree, whose portfolio includes the RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), stopped just short of disagreeing with that characterization 

“What I’m suggesting is that there’s still a lot more work to do, and we will do that work,” he said.

The official’s comments to reporters on Wednesday marked a stark departure from Canada’s position from about a year-and-a-half ago when the Trudeau government expelled six Indian diplomats after the RCMP had deemed them “persons of interest.”

In the fall of 2024, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said the Mounties had strong evidence showing the “highest levels” of the Indian government were involved in orchestrating a campaign of violence and intimidation on Canadian soil.

A year before that, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada had evidence linking Indian agents to the killing of Canadian Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. 

New Delhi has long denied those allegations.

Just this week a prominent Canadian Sikh activist, Moninder Singh, says he was delivered a fourth duty to warn letter by Vancouver police about credible threats on his life.

Singh was a close collaborator of Nijjar.

And the January 20205 report from the foreign interference inquiry called India the “second-most active country engaging in electoral foreign interference in Canada” after China, raising skepticism that India’s foreign interference days are behind them.

“We have certainly had irritations over the number of years, and they will be addressed through our channels relating to security,” Anandasangaree said.

“Matters that are before the courts will continue to be litigated through the courts and resolution will be addressed through the court and not through political means.” 

Carney’s trip comes as his government works to normalize relations with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who leads one of the largest economies in the world.

The federal public safety minister said there are two tracks for dealing with India. 

“One is to ensure that we have an economic engagement that the prime minister is leading. But we will also have, at times, difficult conversation around safety and security of Canadians,” he said.