Sikh extremists using Canada to ‘fund & promote violence in India’—Canada intel report

Canada's Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) released its 2025 annual public report identifying Sikh extremist networks operating from Canadian soil as a th...

What Happened

Canada's Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) released its 2025 annual public report identifying Sikh extremist networks operating from Canadian soil as a threat that funds and promotes violence primarily targeting India.
The report describes these Canada-based Khalistan extremist (CBKE) groups as leveraging Canadian institutions, community networks, and unsuspecting donors to channel funds toward violent activities abroad.
CSIS simultaneously named India, China, Russia, Iran, and Pakistan as the "main perpetrators of foreign interference and espionage against Canada" — placing India in a complex dual position as both a target of diaspora-based extremism and a source of foreign interference.
India is specifically alleged to have cultivated covert relationships with Canadian politicians, journalists, and Indo-Canadian community members, and to have engaged in transnational repression including surveillance and coercion of diaspora individuals.
The report explicitly distinguished lawful political advocacy for Khalistan (protected under Canadian law) from the illegal violent extremist activities of CBKE subgroups.

Static Topic Bridges

Diaspora-Based Extremism and Transnational Terrorism

Diaspora-based extremism refers to violent or extremist movements sustained by migrant communities in foreign countries, often more ideologically rigid than their counterparts in the country of origin. Canada's multicultural immigration model and large South Asian diaspora have made it a significant node for Khalistan-related activity since the 1980s.

The 1985 Air India Flight 182 bombing (329 killed) — executed by Canada-based CBKE members — remains the paradigmatic case of diaspora-linked terrorism affecting India.
CSIS distinguishes between the political advocacy layer (lawful) and the operational-fundraising-violent layer (illegal) within the CBKE ecosystem.
Extremist groups exploit community trust to divert charitable donations toward violent causes — a tactic CSIS explicitly flags in the 2025 report.
Canada's constitutional protections for free speech and association create legal constraints on prosecuting advocacy, making it difficult to act on incitement short of direct operational planning.

Connection to this news: The CSIS report's finding that CBKE networks are "using Canada to fund and promote violence in India" is directly relevant to India's longstanding diplomatic demand that Canada take firmer action against Khalistani extremist infrastructure on its soil.

Foreign Interference: Mechanisms and Actors

Foreign interference involves covert, deceptive, or threatening state-directed activities to influence another country's political environment, institutions, or diaspora. CSIS's 2025 report categorises the five main perpetrators and their methods.

China: largest and most sophisticated foreign interference actor; targets politicians, academia, and diaspora communities through United Front Work Department networks.
India: alleged to cultivate politicians and journalists covertly; also accused of transnational repression — surveillance and intimidation of Sikh diaspora members on Canadian soil.
Russia: primarily engages in disinformation and influence operations targeting Canadian public opinion.
Iran: targets Iranian diaspora for surveillance and coercion; also engages in influence operations.
Pakistan: monitors and exerts pressure on Pakistani diaspora communities.
CSIS notes that foreign interference is not limited to these five — they are identified as the primary actors in 2025.

Connection to this news: India's simultaneous appearance as a target of extremist violence and a perpetrator of foreign interference creates a diplomatic paradox that complicates Canada's ability to address either issue without inflaming the other — and frames the broader India-Canada bilateral relationship.

India-Canada Relations: Structural Tensions

India-Canada diplomatic relations have been under sustained strain since 2023, when Canada alleged Indian government involvement in the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. The subsequent tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions reduced both countries' high commission staffing significantly.

Canada expelled an Indian diplomat in September 2023 following the Nijjar killing; India retaliated by expelling a senior Canadian diplomat.
India categorically denies any role in the Nijjar killing and has demanded Canada provide evidence.
The RCMP Commissioner stated in 2026 that current investigations do not link India to violent crimes on Canadian soil — a partial but notable qualification.
Despite tensions, both countries maintain strong trade ties; the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations remain stalled.
The large Sikh-Canadian population (~770,000, 2021 Census) gives Khalistan-linked political activity electoral salience in Canadian domestic politics.

Connection to this news: The 2025 CSIS report adds institutional weight to Canada's concerns on both fronts, but also creates an opening for India to point to the terrorism threat as validation of its long-standing position on Khalistani extremism.

Key Facts & Data

CSIS report period: 2025 (tabled in Canadian Parliament, May 2026)
Five main foreign interference perpetrators: China, India, Russia, Iran, Pakistan
CBKE threat: fundraising and promoting violence primarily targeting India; no CBKE attack in Canada during 2025
Air India Flight 182 bombing: 1985; 329 killed; CBKE-linked suspects; 40th anniversary marked in 2025
Nijjar killing: June 2023, Surrey, British Columbia; triggered diplomatic crisis
RCMP 2026 statement: current investigations do not link India to violent crimes on Canadian soil
Canada Sikh diaspora: over 770,000 (2021 Census), one of the world's largest
Canada-India CEPA negotiations: stalled as of 2026