Canada’s intelligence agency has named India among countries engaged in foreign interference and espionage activities on its soil, even as Ottawa’s top police official had two months back said there was no current evidence linking Indian entities to clandestine operations.
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The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), in its ‘Public Report 2025’, has also acknowledged the threat posed to the country by extremist Khalistani elements.
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The CSIS has listed India alongside China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan as the principal state actors involved in interference and espionage activities targeting Canada.
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Detailing India-specific concerns, the agency alleged that New Delhi had “historically” sought to cultivate covert relationships with Canadian politicians, journalists and members of the Indo-Canadian community to advance its strategic interests. It also pointed to instances of “transnational repression”, including surveillance and coercive tactics aimed at suppressing criticism of the Indian Government.
The CSIS has linked such concerns to the presence in Canada of supporters of the Khalistan separatist movement, noting that India viewed the issue through the lens of domestic security. “Given the presence in Canada of supporters of the Khalistan separatist movement, Canada must remain vigilant regarding potential transnational repression activities,” an excerpt from the report read.
However, at the same time, the report underlined that advocacy for Khalistan also remained “lawful political activity” within Canada. The report also revisited the threat of politically motivated violent extremism, recalling the 1985 Air India Flight 182 bombing–the deadliest terror attack in Canadian history–and noting that while no Khalistan-linked attacks occurred in 2025, a small subset of extremists continued to use Canadian soil to support or finance violence in India.
“Some Canadians participate in legitimate and peaceful campaigning to support the Khalistan separatist movement. Non-violent advocacy for the creation of a state of Khalistan is not considered extremism,” the report said.
It further stated that only a small group of individuals “who used Canada as a base to promote, fundraise or plan violence primarily in India” were considered Khalistani extremists.
Interestingly, the CSIS findings come against the backdrop of a nuanced shift in Canada’s law enforcement stance. In March this year, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commissioner Mike Duheme had stated in an interview that ongoing probes into transnational repression had found no current evidence connecting Indian Government agents to clandestine or violent activities in Canada.
His remarks marked a departure from earlier allegations that had triggered a major diplomatic rift following the 2023 killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, an episode that led to mutual expulsion of diplomats and a freeze in bilateral engagement. Pertinent to mention that officials in New Delhi have consistently rejected past allegations as “motivated and lacking credible evidence”