The revelation that the Indian government has been actively involved in interfering in Canadian politics and has been supporting criminal actions in this country continues to divide the leaders of Canada’s political parties.
On Monday, October 14, the RCMP stated publicly that they had evidence that the government of India had been actively involved in criminal activities in Canada. According to the RCMP, these activities include directing and facilitating harassment, extortion, and event assassinations against individuals in Canada they viewed as dissidents.
Last June, Indian diplomats were expelled from Canada after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in the House of Commons that Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjaar had been assassinated in BC on the orders of the Indian government on June 18.
READ MORE: Parliament returns with rhetoric and a bombshell allegation
This latest revelation has led both Canada and India to mutually expel one anothers diplomats.
Conservatives put political games over national security
India has gone beyond simply targeting dissidents, they have also actively sought to influence and coordinate their actions with Canadian politicians. The Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS), the RCMP and the Liberal government all allege that India has sought to influence members of the Conservative Party of Canada.
“I have the names of a number of parliamentarians, former parliamentarians and-or candidates in the Conservative Party of Canada who are engaged or at high risk of, or for whom there is clear intelligence around foreign interference,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a hearing on Wednesday, October 16.
Trudeau added that the leader of the Conservatives, Pierre Poilievre, has refused to learn the names of the members of his party who may be involved in, or targets of, foreign interference from India.
“The decision by the leader of the Conservative party to not get those classified briefings means that nobody in his party — not him, nobody in a position of power — knows the names of these individuals and can take appropriate action,” said Trudeau.
The only leader without a security clearance
Famously, Poilievre has refused to receive a security clearance.
The issue of foreign interference in the Conservative Party has dogged the Tories for the past year, ever since CSIS revealed that they believe that India and other countries attempted to influence the last Conservative leadership race, which Poilievre won.
At that time, during a debate in the House of Commons, Poilievre and other Conservatives implied that having their leader get his security clearance was some kind of a trap. They stated that knowing the classified information would prevent him from making statements about that information. In other words, if Poilievre knew the classified information about political interference, he wouldn’t be able to play politics and own the Libs.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Poilievre claimed that his Chief of Staff did have a security clearance and had been receiving intelligence briefings, presumably on his behalf.
“[M]y Chief of Staff has received classified briefings from the government. At no time has the government told me or my Chief of Staff of any current or former Conservative parliamentarian or candidate knowingly participating in foreign interference,” the statement reads.
Poilievre then went on to challenge Trudeau to release the names of the Conservatives who allegedly were involved in foreign interference activities, something Trudeau could not do without violating the classified nature of such information.
Poilievre is the only party leader that does not have a security clearance.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh also directly attacked Poilievre for refusing to get a security clearance.
“I love our country. I love our democracy. I would do anything to protect it. I can’t imagine or understand any political leader who also wouldn’t do anything to protect our country. That’s why it troubles me deeply that Pierre Poilievre is unwilling to receive a security clearance and fully understand what is going on,” said Singh in a statement.
Singh said that Poilievre was putting his own political fortunes ahead of national security.
“The utmost important thing is country first. Protecting our country and protecting Canadians. We just heard from the RCMP that Canadians are being targeted. Canadians are being shot at; their homes are being shot at; their businesses are being shot at; they are being extorted. It is alleged it is being orchestrated by Indian government officials,” Singh said.
Finally, Singh warned that Poilievre was sending a message to the Indian government that he condoned their actions attacking Canadians.
“At a time when we have active threats against Canadians, he wants to be the only leader that doesn’t want to look at what’s going on. That does send a message to the Indian government that there is one leader that is willing to look away,” Singh concluded.
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