CSIS flags extremist Khalistani activists as national security threat

Globe and Mail

3 days ago

Canada's spy agency is warning that a small but militant group of Sikhs are using the country as a base for promoting, fundraising and planning violence in India in support of an independent homeland in Punjab, a caution some see as a sign of shifting policies toward New Delhi.
In its annual report to Parliament in June, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said these homegrown extremists represent only a small group among Sikhs who are otherwise pursuing non-violent advocacy for a state they call Khalistan.
The spy agency says the presence of Sikh extremists in Canada 'continues to pose a national security threat to Canada and Canadian interests,' without pointing to any specific examples. It's the first time CSIS has highlighted Khalistani extremists in its annual report since 2018.
Canada is attempting to rebuild relations with India, which suffered a major rupture in September, 2023, when then-prime-minister Justin Trudeau accused New Delhi of a role in the killing of Canadian Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent advocate for Khalistan. India has denied the allegation.
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The rift escalated further last fall when Canada dismissed top Indian diplomats over allegations that government agents had been linked to a targeted campaign against Canadian citizens. India expelled Canadian diplomats in response.
The CSIS report says India remains one of the country's most persistent foreign interference threats. It adds that India's 'real and perceived' concerns about Khalistani extremism is driving New Delhi's foreign interference activities in Canada.
Balpreet Singh, legal counsel for the World Sikh Organization of Canada, which advocates on behalf of this country's nearly one million Sikhs, says his group has reached out to CSIS over concerns about the language in the report. He says despite alarms raised by India, there's no evidence Khalistani extremists pose a threat to Canada, and the report acknowledges there were no attacks in Canada related to Sikh extremism in 2024.
'Are there actors that engage in some sort of extremist activity in Canada? CSIS would indicate that there is a 'small number.' I haven't seen them. I don't know anything about them,' Mr. Singh said. 'The problem is India tries very hard to malign anything related to Khalistan as, by default, terrorism.'
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Andrew Kirsch, a security consultant and former intelligence officer with CSIS, said the spy agency is signalling that the threat from Khalistan extremists is real and should be taken seriously.
'If they're highlighting it, it means it's become a priority item, that the threat is serious and they want to raise awareness about it. Clearly, this stuff is going on, and they want the public to know about it,' he said.
These annual reports are important because they offer insight into how the spy agency is spending time and resources, he said.
He is skeptical of the suggestion CSIS could be influenced by Indian disinformation. These kinds of threat assessments are based on a wide range of sources, as well as electronic surveillance, such as intercepts and wiretaps, all of which goes through a heavy vetting process internally, he said.
'Unfortunately, we can't tell people what information that threat is based on. But our intelligence service is trained to wade through disinformation. I have a high degree of confidence in their analysis,' Mr. Kirsch said.
The CSIS report says politically motivated violent extremism has been an element of the Khalistani movement in Canada since the 1980s. Sikh activists, however, argue India has used these perceived threats to target peaceful advocacy for Khalistan.
'The problem is India sees any activism for Khalistan as extremist, and it has targeted that,' Mr. Singh said.
Mr. Nijjar, designated a terrorist by India, was gunned down in the parking lot of a gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., in June, 2023. Four Indian nationals are facing charges in connection with the killing. Mr. Trudeau said Canada had credible allegations the murder was carried out by agents of India. New Delhi has refused to acknowledge any role in foreign interference or transnational oppression of Sikhs in Canada.
Mr. Singh says the CSIS report may signal a shift in policy from Ottawa. He suggested it may be designed to appease New Delhi as Canada seeks to repair relations – something Gurpreet Sahota, editor-in-chief at Channel Punjabi in Surrey, called a 'betrayal.' Multiple Sikh organizations protested Prime Minister Mark Carney's decision to invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit in Alberta earlier this month.
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'We believe that India pressures Canada to do these sort of things … Did it happen here? I hope not,' Mr. Singh said.
CSIS spokesperson Magali Hébert told The Globe and Mail that the spy agency has used the term 'Canada-based Khalistani extremism' for some time, and pointed out the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference referenced its findings on Sikh extremism in its final report earlier this year. Ms. Hébert, who added that the 'vast majority' of Khalistan supporters are peaceful, did not directly address a question about whether its reports are politically influenced.
The Indian High Commission did not respond to a request for comment. But in social-media posts, it said the bombing of Air India Flight 182, 40 years ago this month by Canada-based Khalistani terrorists, is a reminder the world must show 'zero tolerance' toward extremism.