Canada has warned that China and India are likely to attempt to interfere in its upcoming general election, while Russia could also pose potential threats, according to the country’s intelligence agency.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) made its comments at a time when Ottawa’s relations with both India and China remain strained.
Canada was slow to respond to attempts by China and India to interfere in the 2019 and 2021 elections, but an official probe concluded in January that their meddling did not affect the outcomes.
Vanessa Lloyd, deputy director of operations at CSIS, told a press conference that hostile state actors were increasingly utilizing artificial intelligence to meddle in elections.
“The PRC (People’s Republic of China) is highly likely to use AI-enabled tools to attempt to interfere with Canada’s democratic process in this current election,” she said.
“We have also seen that the government of India has the intent and capability to interfere in Canadian communities and democratic processes,” said Lloyd.
The Chinese and Indian diplomatic missions in Ottawa were not immediately available for comment.
