Ottawa, Canada – The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has raised concerns over potential foreign interference in the country’s upcoming general election on April 28, citing China and India as likely actors, with Russia and Pakistan also having the capability to meddle.
At a press conference on Monday, Vanessa Lloyd, Deputy Director of Operations at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, warned that hostile state actors were increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence to disrupt democratic processes.
“The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is highly likely to use AI-enabled tools to attempt to interfere with Canada’s democratic process in this current election,” Lloyd stated.
The warning comes as diplomatic relations between Canada and both China and India remain strained. A government-commissioned probe, which released its final report in January, found that while Canada was slow to respond to previous interference attempts in the 2019 and 2021 elections, the outcomes remained unaffected.
Tensions with China have escalated following Beijing’s imposition of tariffs on over $2.6 billion worth of Canadian agricultural and food products earlier this month. The move was in retaliation for Ottawa’s tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, steel, and aluminum products. Additionally, Canada last week condemned China for executing four Canadian citizens on drug smuggling charges, denouncing Beijing’s use of the death penalty.
Meanwhile, diplomatic ties with India have also been rocky. Last year, Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, including the head of mission, over allegations of involvement in a plot against Sikh separatists on Canadian soil.
“We have also seen that the government of India has the intent and capability to interfere in Canadian communities and democratic processes,” Lloyd added.
Both Beijing and New Delhi have previously denied allegations of election interference, maintaining that they do not engage in meddling in the internal affairs of other nations.
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