India refuted the claims and assured its commitment to non-interference.
New Delhi:
Canada has accused India and Pakistan of meddling in its elections – a charge unequivocally rejected by India. Canada’s spy agency released an unclassified summary tabled as part of a federal inquiry examining potential foreign interference, alleging clandestine activities by both India and Pakistan during the 2019 and 2021 general elections. India has called the probe ‘baseless’ and said that it is Canada who has been interfering in their internal affairs.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) summary points to concerted efforts by India and Pakistan to influence Canada’s electoral processes. India, however, vehemently denies these allegations, dismissing them as baseless and redirecting the focus to what it perceives as Canada’s meddling in its internal affairs.
The CSIS documents allege that in 2021, the Indian government targeted specific electoral districts believed to harbour Indian-origin voters sympathetic to the Khalistani movement or pro-Pakistan stances. The agency alleged that a government proxy agent may have attempted to sway democratic processes through illicit financial support to favored candidates, potentially remaining undisclosed to the recipients.
Similarly, in 2019, officials from the Pakistani government purportedly engaged in clandestine activities aimed at advancing Pakistan’s interests within Canada’s political landscape.
While India refuted the claims and assured its commitment to non-interference in other nations’ democratic processes, Canada’s inquiry into foreign meddling has escalated tensions in already strained ties between the two countries.
Foreign Meddling Charges
In January, Canada announced its intention to investigate allegations of foreign interference in its national elections, with a particular focus on India, according to a Bloomberg report.
“We have seen media reports about the Canadian commission enquiring into …We strongly reject all such baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in February.
“It is not the government of India’s policy to interfere in the democratic processes of other countries. In fact, quite on the reverse, it is Canada which has been interfering in our internal affairs,” he added.
The decision to launch a public inquiry came after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau initiated the process last year in response to leaked intelligence reports suggesting China had attempted to influence Canadian elections by backing candidates sympathetic to President Xi Jinping’s regime.
The appointed commissioner for the inquiry was mandated to probe potential interference by various actors, including India, China, Russia, and other governmental and non-governmental entities during both the 2019 and 2021 election cycles.
India-Canada Relations
Mr Trudeau’s previous allegations of Indian involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil have become a flashpoint in bilateral relations between the two nations.
Despite India’s dismissal of these allegations as absurd, the fallout resulted in diplomatic repercussions, including the temporary suspension of visas for Canadians and a reduction in diplomatic presence.
window._rrCode = window._rrCode || [];_rrCode.push(function(){ (function(d,t) var s=d.createElement(t); var s1=d.createElement(t); if (d.getElementById(‘jsw-init’)) return; s.setAttribute(‘id’,’jsw-init’); s.setAttribute(‘src’,’https://www.jiosaavn.com/embed/_s/embed.js?ver=’+Date.now()); s.onload=function()document.getElementById(‘jads’).style.display=’block’;s1.appendChild(d.createTextNode(‘JioSaavnEmbedWidget.init(a:”1″, q:”1″, embed_src:”https://www.jiosaavn.com/embed/playlist/85481065″,”dfp_medium” : “1”,partner_id: “ndtv”);’));d.body.appendChild(s1);; if (document.readyState === ‘complete’) d.body.appendChild(s); else if (document.readyState === ‘loading’) var interval = setInterval(function() if(document.readyState === ‘complete’) d.body.appendChild(s); clearInterval(interval); , 100); else window.onload = function() d.body.appendChild(s); ; )(document,’script’); });
In February, India’s designation as a “foreign threat” by Canadian intelligence, alongside China and Russia, intensified the diplomatic rift.
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
