Denial of Indian Influence: Canadian Officials Testify on Alleged Electoral Interference

Canadian officials also denied that India would have influence over its federal elections. At a public meeting taking place on foreign intervention, the administrators of the 2021 election denied any Indian meddling.

Both former Deputy Foreign Minister Marta Morgan and former Secretary to the Cabinet Janice Charette intimated that Indian meddling in the 2021 election was something not established. Morgan and Charette alluded to the lack of Indian disinformation in the Canadian information ecosystem, including those by the Canadian government.

The panelists rejected Indian money to fund Canadian campaigns, removing a key pillar of charges on Indian meddling. Foreign interference in federal electoral processes and democratic institutions, particularly China, was the focus of the public inquiry.

During the 2021 election, the information environment in Canada contained no Indian disinformation, according to the panel. Charette criticized the lack of electoral tools on the part of the Indian government. Charette responded, “I do not believe we saw evidence of the Government of India using those tools during the 2021 election.

Panelist Marta Morgan said, “There was no information that pointed toward disinformation from Indian sources during that period.” On March 27, 2024, the Canadian Foreign Influence Commission began public hearings investigating foreign influence in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. The probe will look into the influence of foreign states or non-states in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue highlighted their powers in probing electoral meddling, with an interim report due May 3 and a final report by December 31.