Testifying before a public hearing, Canadian officials have denied any knowledge of India’s alleged role in influencing Canada’s federal elections. The senior Bureaucrats overseeing the 2021 election testified before a public hearing on foreign interference, dismissing any indication of Indian involvement in electoral processes.
During the hearing, panelists, including former Deputy Foreign Minister, Marta Morgan and Former Cabinet Secretary, Janice Charette, provided testimony indicating no evidence of Indian interference in the 2021 election. Morgan stated there was no information on Indian disinformation within the Canadian information ecosystem, while Charette highlighted the absence of Indian government tactics in the campaign.
Regarding funding from Indian sources to Canadian campaigns, panelists responded in the negative, further undermining allegations of Indian interference. The testimony comes amidst heightened scrutiny and a Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference by several countries Including China in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions. During the hearing, panelists stated that they found no evidence of Indian disinformation originating within the Canadian information ecosystem during the 2021 election.
Janice Charette, former senior public servant, highlighted the absence of tools or tactics employed by the Indian government in the electoral campaign. On the question of whether there was deliberation to assess the threat and consideration to counteract Indian disinformation in the electoral process, Charette said, “I do not believe during the 2021 election that we saw evidence of the Government of India using those tools in the campaign.”
Charette retired last year after serving as Canada’s most senior public servant, as clerk of the privy council and secretary to the cabinet. She was appointed as the Interim Clerk of the Privy Council in March of 2021 and it was in that capacity that she served as the Chair of the Panel of Five for the 2021 election. Panelists also testified that they uncovered no trace of Indian disinformation in the Canadian information ecosystem during the 2021 election, casting doubt on claims of foreign interference.
Panel member Marta Morgan responding to the question, if the panel considered specific instances where threats constituted by Indian disinformation, said, “There was no information suggesting that there was disinformation originating from that source in the Canadian information ecosphere during that period.” Morgan is the former deputy minister of foreign affairs, who sat on the 2019 and 2021 panels.
To the question of possible funding from Indian sources for any campaigns, one of the panelists replied in the negative. India’s Ministry of External Affairs had earlier rejected Canada’s allegation of India influencing the Canadian electoral process. Responding to CNN-News18’s question on February 8, regarding the Canadian government’s inquiry to scrutinise India’s role in the electoral process had called the allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections “baseless”.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “It is not the Government of India’s policy to interfere in democratic processes of other countries. In fact, quite on the reverse, it is Canada which has been interfering in our internal affairs. We have been raising this issue regularly with them. We continue to call on Canada to take effective measures to address our core concerns.”
The Canadian government created the Foreign Interference Commission to respond to concerns about foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. The Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions commenced its Stage 1 public hearings on March 27, 2024. Focused on the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, the inquiry seeks to address concerns about foreign states or non-state actors influencing electoral outcomes.
Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue while -underscoring their mandate to investigate potential interference in past elections had said, “The Commission will hear evidence on the question of interference by foreign states or non-state actors in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, including any potential impact on those elections.” The Commission aims to assess the flow of information to decision-makers and examine actions taken in response to potential threats. The Commission will complete an initial report by May 3 this year and deliver its final report by December 31.
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