India, Iran using crime groups to target opponents in Canada, CSIS report says

Foreign regimes are hiring underworld syndicates to carry out for 'transnational repression,' Canada's intelligence service said in its annual report to Parliament.

Foreign governments are using crime groups to go after political opponents in Canada, the country’s intelligence service said in its annual report released Wednesday.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service said it had detected “a concerning trend of states leveraging organized crime networks to conduct threat activity.”

Underworld syndicates are being tasked with conducting “transnational repression of legitimate speech in Canada, among other malign activities,” the report said.

It cited the examples of Iran’s intelligence service hiring outlaw biker gang members to conduct a killing, and India’s alleged links to gang violence in Canada.

The report said the RCMP had evidence that linked Indian government agents to “criminal networks to sow violent activity in South Asian communities in Canada.”

The Indian government’s alleged role in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., “signals a significant escalation in India’s repression efforts,” it said.

“Canada must remain vigilant about continued foreign interference conducted by the government of India, not only within ethnic, religious and cultural communities but also in Canada’s political system.”

The report was publicly released the day after the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta., wrapped up. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a guest at the event.