Canada created commissions in 2019 and 2021 to raise concerns about foreign interference in that country’s national elections. At first, Canada complained that China tried to influence its national elections.
According to Anandabazar, Canada’s “Foreign Interference Commission” has been given the responsibility to investigate the allegations. The investigation started from September last year.
During the investigation, the Trudeau government also accused India of “interfering” in that country’s national elections. However, Canada did not comment on whether China and India colluded to try to influence the election.
The Commissioner of Inquiry has also asked the Trudeau government to provide the documents on the basis of which Canada has accused India of ‘meddling’ in the election.
The Commission will examine the documents provided by the Government and assess what steps the Government of Canada has taken in response.
The commission of inquiry will also look into whether a foreign power had the leeway to interfere in Canada’s national elections.
The Commission is scheduled to submit the preliminary report of the interim investigation by May 3. The final report will be submitted on the last day of the year i.e., 31st December.
Besides China and India, the commission is also investigating whether Russia and Iran have any role in influencing Canadian elections.
The Canadian government claims that foreign forces tried to remove Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from power.
However, India has denied all the allegations raised by Canada. India claims that the Canadian government’s allegations of interfering in that country’s elections are baseless. India also claimed that Canada made the allegations without any evidence.
