In a major statement, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commissioner Mike Duheme recently said that there is no current evidence suggesting that the Government of India is involved in clandestine activities or transnational repression on Canadian soil.
“In the files that we have that involve transnational repression, we’re not seeing any connection right now with any foreign entity, based on the criminal information, the investigations that we have presently,” Commissioner Deheme said, speaking to CTV News during a recent interview. Dueheme was responding to a question about the alleged links of the Indian government to activities involving transnational repression in Canada.
“I’m saying that based on the totality of the files that we have on foreign interference or transnational repression, what we have in our holdings is we have people that are intimidating people, harassing people, but connecting the dots to a foreign entity, regardless of the country, we don’t have that,” Duheme added.
Duheme’s remarks follow years of strained relations between India and Canada. In 2023, former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed that the assassination of pro-Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was carried out by agents of the Indian government. However, he did not provide any proof to support the same. The allegations were outrightly denied by India.
Subsequently, in 2024, the RCMP accused Indian diplomats and consular officials based in Canada of being linked to serious criminal activity in the country, including homicides and extortions. This was followed by the Canadian government expelling six Indian diplomats, including the high commissioner. As a result, India responded by expelling six Canadian diplomats. In the following months, the relations between the two countries further deteriorated, coming to a near freeze.
The India-Canada ties thawed following the victory of Liberal Party leader Mark Carney in the parliamentary election in April 2025. Subsequently, both sides posted their high commissioners in each other’s capitals. In an attempt to improve India-Canada ties, Canadian PM Carney visited India earlier this month. During his visit, the two countries signed agreements on supplies of Uranium and critical minerals and resolved to conclude a comprehensive economic partnership agreement.
