India accused of meddling in Canada's Conservative Party race

Canada's Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has said he won his leadership "fair and square" following reports that India allegedly meddled in the party's 2022 leadership race.

Citing a source with top-security clearance, the Globe and Mail newspaper reported allegations that Indian agents were involved in fundraising and organising within Canada's South Asian community to support Poilievre.

There is no evidence that Poilievre or his team were aware of the alleged interference.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney also faced scrutiny over whether a candidate was ousted due to alleged ties to India. Both leaders fielded questions as they campaigned ahead of Canada's 28 April election.

India has been accused of election interference in Canada before, but its government has repeatedly denied the allegations.

The Globe and Mail reported on Monday that Canadian intelligence agents could not raise concerns about India's alleged involvement with Poilievre because he had not obtained the necessary security clearance.

The report said India's alleged attempts to interfere were part of a larger effort to influence Canadian politicians of all parties.

Poilievre is the only federal party leader running for prime minister who has refused security clearance.

He defended his stance on Tuesday, calling the process politicised and arguing it would prevent him from speaking publicly on national issues.

"What I will not do is commit to the oath of secrecy the Liberals want to impose on me," Poilievre said. "They don't want me to speak about these matters, so they bring me into a dark room and they say: 'We're going to give you a little bit of bread crumbs of intel and then we'll tell you you can't talk about this stuff any more.'"

Poilievre won the 2022 leadership race with 68% of the vote. Canadian intelligence agents said there is no indication the alleged interference attempt influenced the outcome, the Globe and Mail reported.

Broadcaster Radio-Canada also confirmed the Globe's reporting.

On Wednesday, the Globe also reported that the Liberal Party revoked an Ottawa MP's leadership bid and nomination over foreign-interference concerns related to India.

MP Chandra Arya, barred from the leadership race won by Carney in March, denied the allegations.

"The sole point of contention with the Liberal Party has been my outspoken advocacy on issues important to Hindu Canadians and my firm stance against Khalistani extremism," he said.

Responding to questions on the campaign trail, Carney said that Liberal Party has "a very robust and serious process of vetting candidates" and some don't get the "green light".

Foreign meddling in Canadian elections has become an increasing concern, prompting a public inquiry last year.

The report concluded that China and India attempted to interfere in Canada's last two elections.

While these attempts were "troubling" they had "minimal impact", the report said. But it warned that disinformation posed an "existential threat" to the country's democracy.

A Canadian election integrity task force cautioned on Monday that foreign agents from China, Russia, and India may attempt to influence the ongoing campaign using AI, proxies, and online disinformation targeting diaspora communities.

Officials said Canadians will likely see a "more active" federal government response on issues of disinformation as a result.