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Canadian report highlights Indian media’s role in escalating bilateral tensions
The report alleges that Indian media narratives seek to shift attention from internal issues by casting Canada in a negative light, often portraying the country as isolated from its G7 allies.
File photo. / Reuters
The Canada-based Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM), an organization tasked with monitoring foreign state-sponsored disinformation, has issued a report that exposes an orchestrated media campaign by India, primarily targeting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. According to the report, Modi-aligned media outlets have intensified narratives that paint Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a slain Sikh activist, as a “Khalistani terrorist,” while suggesting that Canada supports “separatist terrorism.”
The RRM report, titled ‘Potential Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference’, arrives amid heightened diplomatic friction following the killing of Nijjar on Jun.18, 2023, outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia. Nijjar’s assassination and Canada’s subsequent allegations of Indian government involvement have strained relations between the two countries, triggering a public exchange of accusations.
The report notes a coordinated campaign across Indian media platforms, portraying Trudeau as a political opportunist seeking electoral gain by aligning with the Sikh diaspora. “Following PM’s statement that Canada’s agencies were pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Indian government and the killing of Nijjar, Modi-aligned outlets amplified several narratives that targeted PM Trudeau, Canada’s High Commissioner to India, Canada’s national security agencies, Canada’s Punjabi Sikh diaspora, and Nijjar’s political beliefs,” the report states.
The report alleges that Indian media narratives seek to shift attention from internal issues by casting Canada in a negative light, often portraying the country as isolated from its G7 allies. Additionally, media outlets supportive of Modi have leveraged social media extensively, with followings reportedly up to 14 times greater than Canadian counterparts, thereby expanding the reach of anti-Canada rhetoric. “Some Modi-aligned outlets have fourteen times the following of Canadian outlets”, adding that “both Canadian and global audiences were likely exposed to Modi-aligned narratives, themes, and stories on social media platforms.”.
The report says Canada’s Punjabi Sikh diaspora and Canadian diplomats in India are often depicted in a negative light, with commentators accusing Trudeau and Canadian institutions of “falling into the laps of Khalistani extremists” and enabling terrorism.
A post by an Indian author was cited in the report, where he refers to former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau allegedly allowing a suspect in the 1985 Air India bombing to go free, stating, “the apple never falls far from the tree,” implying familial motivations in Trudeau’s stance on Khalistan supporters.
In addition to scrutinizing Trudeau, Indian media narratives have also reportedly targeted Canadian politicians with Sikh backgrounds, such as NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, branding him pro-Khalistan. Some reports even allege that Pakistan’s ISI is funding the Khalistan movement in Canada and suggest that Trudeau has ties to philanthropist George Soros, further complicating the diplomatic fallout.
As the diplomatic rift between Canada and India continues to grow, the RRM report cautions that this evolving crisis “will likely carry considerable implications for Canadian foreign policy,” calling for Canada to remain vigilant against foreign disinformation campaigns.
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