Jody Thomas, the National Security and Intelligence Advisor, is attending a hearing before the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (PROC) in Ottawa. The committee is looking into intimidation campaigns against the Member for Wellington – Halton Hills and other Members on Parliament Hill. The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby took a photo of her waiting to give evidence on June 1, 2023.
Jody Thomas, the national security adviser for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has stated that India is one of the primary sources of foreign interference in Canada. Thomas outlined that numerous state actors and non-state proxies are conducting attempts at foreign interference in Canada. Three countries which the Ottawa government believed were doing so regularly are Russia, China, and Iran. Canada’s Indo-Pacific strategy emphasized closer economic, scientific partnerships with India as a priority. However, Thomas specifically mentioned India as a country that interferes with Canada’s affairs. Federal agencies had previously raised awareness that India might seek to influence Canadian communities. Thomas’s predecessor emphasized that rogue elements within the Indian government tried to humiliate Trudeau during his visit to the country in that year. On occasion, India has claimed that Canadian elements interfered in India’s internal affairs, particularly a separatist movement led by some Sikhs that had incited violence at times. The New Democratic Party has frequently pointed to India as a source of foreign interference, urging Canada to restrict its ties to the country over human rights issues.