Canada engaged in spying on Indian diplomats

Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, briefs Rajya Sabha

Ottawa (Canada) – The Indian consulate officials in Vancouver, Canada, are being monitored through ‘audio’ and ‘video’ messages, a process which is still ongoing. Their personal messages are also being read. This information was provided to Indian officials by Canadian authorities, as confirmed by India’s Ministry of External Affairs in Parliament.

Indian Consulate officials are being spied on by Canada. – MoS IN MEA, Kirti Vardhan Singh in the Rajya Sabha.

The Minister should also give out what retaliatory measures the Indian Government would take, if this happens to be true.

That’s another nail in the coffin; India… pic.twitter.com/62Fd1n1Hp3

— Sanatan Prabhat (@SanatanPrabhat) November 29, 2024

1. Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, said, ‘Government of India had sent a letter of complaint to the Trudeau Government on 2^ndNovember, stating that this was a violation of diplomatic protocol’. Singh provided this information while answering a written question in the Rajya Sabha.

2. Kirti Vardhan Singh further remarked that India’s relationship with Canada has been and will remain difficult. The reason for this is that the Trudeau Government has supported terrorist and separatist elements, who advocate for anti-India policies. These groups take advantage of Canada’s laws to carry out violent activities, which pose a threat to India’s sovereignty and integrity.

3. Canada had refused to provide security to Indian officials. Singh mentioned that India was in constant contact with Canada and had requested the provision of necessary security to Indian diplomatic officials. Canadian authorities are providing security to Indian diplomats and diplomatic properties, but recently they have refused to continue doing so. The consulate’s camps are unable to protect themselves from violent actions of separatist and extremist groups. Canada has placed India in the ‘Section-1’ list in the ‘National Cyber Threat Assessment’ report, which is published every two years, indicating that Canada considers India’s cyber programmes a threat.

This report was announced on 30^thOctober, where India is ranked fifth after China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

4. Kirti Vardhan Singh also shared that the number of Canadians of Indian descent is 18 lakhs, which is 4.7% of Canada’s population. Additionally, there are about 4,27,000 Indian students among the 10 lakh non-resident Indians. The Indian diaspora in Canada is the largest among any other foreign country.

Editorial Perspectives

Given these circumstances, the Indian Government should also provide information about the actions it has taken or plans to take regarding this matter.