Prime Minister Mark Carney and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi on March 2, 2026.
Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images/File
Article content
OTTAWA — A new report by Canada’s spy agency says that China and India remain some of the main perpetrators of foreign interference and espionage against Canada, at a time when Prime Minister Mark Carney is seeking closer economic ties with both countries.
Sign In or Create an Account
Email Address
Continue
or
View more offers
Article content
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), which
released its 2025 Public Report
on Friday, also mentioned Russia, Iran and Pakistan as other actors of foreign interference — but warned that they were not the only foreign states that sought to do so in Canada.
Article content
Article content
Article content
Foreign interference, as defined in the CSIS Act, includes activities that are detrimental to the interests of Canada and are clandestine or deceptive. It seeks to undermine democratic institutions and can target specific cultural communities in Canada.
Article content
Exclusive Newsletter
Political Hack
Political Hack gets at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill. Wednesdays and Fridays.
Subscribe Now
See all of our newsletters
Article content
“Historically, India has cultivated covert relationships with Canadian politicians, journalists, and members of the Indo-Canadian community, to exert its influence and advance its interests,” reads the 49-page report from CSIS.
Article content
“This has included transnational repression (TNR) activities, such as surveillance and other coercive tactics meant to suppress criticism of the Government of India and create fear in the community,” it added.
Article content
CSIS said in the report that, given the presence of supporters of the Khalistan separatist movement which seeks to create a homeland for Sikhs in India’s Punjab region, Canada must remain “vigilant” regarding potential TNR for members of the community.
Article content
“India acts to counter perceived threats to its domestic stability, including Khalistan separatism. In Canada, advocacy for Khalistan separatism is lawful political activity.”
Article content
Article content
Sikh Canadian Narinder Singh Randhawa, a longtime activist for the establishment of an independent Khalistan and a fierce critic of the Indian government,
told National Post last month he was informed by police of an “immediate threat” to his life.
Article content
Read More
'We will call it out': Carney touts progress with India on foreign interference, repression
China allies paid $2,000 to attend Carney fundraiser
Advertisement 1
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Randhawa said he was a close friend of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Canadian-Sikh pro-Khalistan activist who was assassinated in front of his B.C. gurdwara in 2023.
Article content
CSIS said it continued to observe an “evolution” of Chinese espionage tactics in 2025 which started posting job advertisements to a growing number of online job marketing sites “to recruit Canadians with access to proprietary or classified information.”
Article content
The spy agency said this approach allows the country’s intelligence services takes advantage of financial difficulties or career ambitions to “engage with a much larger number of Canadians, who unknowingly apply to work for a hostile intelligence service.”
Article content
The CSIS report also made light of Iran which remains an “aggressive perpetrator of TNR.”
Article content
The spy agency gave the example of the “hacktivist” group “Handala Hack Team” which doxxed several international journalists, including a Canadian resident. Doxxing is the act of publishing private information about an individual online without their permission.
Advertisement 1
This advertisement has not loaded yet.
Trending
Ironically, this Canadian city has been voted the best place for Gen Z to live in Canada
News
Michael Higgins: She heckled a land acknowledgement. Child services were sent after her
NP Comment
Advertisement 2
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Carney hits back on B.C. property rights decision, as Conservatives form task force
Canada
Jamie Sarkonak: Non-citizens in Canadian Forces struggling to 'treat women as their peers'
NP Comment
Mounties seek 'specific, verifiable details' one year after Lilly and Jack Sullivan disappeared
Canada
Advertisement 2
Advertisement
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
“Within days of being doxed, the Canadian resident began receiving hundreds of violent threats, and their family in Iran was harassed by the authorities,” reads the report.
Article content
“The objective of this harassment — whether in Canada or elsewhere — is to silence these journalists and compel them to stop working for a media outlet that is highly critical of the Government of Iran,” it added.
Article content
CSIS said it worked with domestic and foreign partners to respond to this incident.
Article content
The spy agency said the threat of religiously motivated violent extremism in Canada has been “particularly concerning” and has increased since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. In 2025, at least seven of their priority investigations were motivated by this conflict.
Article content
“This conflict has also fuelled violent extremist organization narratives, and has the potential to inspire a new generation of extremists,” reads the report.
Article content
It also pointed to ideologically motivated violent extremism which are deeply intertwined with online conspiracy theories, which are overwhelmingly reaching male subjects.
Article content
Article content
In July 2025, investigations and monitoring by CSIS and the RCMP led to the arrest of four members of Hide & Stalk, an anti-authority militia in Québec composed primarily of current and former Canadian Armed Forces members.
Article content
Three of the individuals are now facing terrorism-related charges, and the fourth is facing charges including for possession of firearms, prohibited devices and explosives.
Article content
— With files from Christopher Nardi.
Article content
National Post
calevesque@postmedia.com
Article content
Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark
nationalpost.com
and sign up for our newsletters
here
.
Article content
Share this article in your social network
Share this Story :
National Post
Copy Link
Email
X
Reddit
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Tumblr
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Create an Account
Sign in
Join the Conversation
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our
Community Guidelines
for more information.
Latest from Shopping Essentials
Meet the family-run Vancouver brand redefining custom furniture
We spoke with Omba founder Daniel Marks on why to choose custom and the future of furniture design
8 hours ago
Buy Canadian
Every major concert coming to Ontario in 2026 — and where to get tickets
Featuring Hilary Duff, ROSALÍA and Three Days Grace, plus more artists touring Ontario this year
11 hours ago
Music
Amazon Prime Day 2026 is returning, but with a big change
Canadians can expect discounts across 35 categories
11 hours ago
Shopping Essentials
Advertisement 3
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Vancouver body care brand is inspired by the beauty of Canada's West Coast
The new skincare brand draws its sensibility from Canada’s West Coast
12 hours ago
Fashion & Beauty
Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi and Nicolas Cage: Everything streaming in Canada this May
From Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi in Wuthering Heights to a steamy YA hockey series Off Campus, there's plenty to stream this month
16 hours ago
Entertainment
Featured Local Savings