Canada has once again stirred diplomatic tensions with India by listing it among "cyber threat" nations, intensifying an already strained relationship. In its latest National Cyber Threat Assessment report for 2025-26, Canada alleged that India, alongside China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, poses a potential cyber threat to the country. The report claims that India’s actions may involve espionage, indicating a deterioration in mutual trust between the two nations.
Hours after Canada's Minister of Public Safety made allegations against India’s Home Minister Amit Shah, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government added India to the list of cyber threats, a move that New Delhi swiftly condemned. Speaking at a press briefing in Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal denounced Canada’s actions as baseless and as “attempts to tarnish India’s global image with unfounded accusations.” The ministry characterized these latest claims as an escalation in Canada’s provocative stance toward India.
According to the Canadian report, India has allegedly been involved in planning cyber attacks under the pretext of counter-terrorism activities, a charge India strongly denies. Canada’s position, the report suggests, is based on suspicions that India has engaged in cyber operations targeting Canadian interests—a claim India views as lacking evidence and intent on damaging its reputation.
Diplomatic relations between India and Canada have been frayed since Trudeau’s allegations last year of Indian involvement in the murder of Khalistani sympathizer Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Following Nijjar’s killing, Canada claimed Indian intelligence agencies were implicated, leading to severe diplomatic fallout. Recently, Canada even named Sanjay Kumar Verma, India’s High Commissioner to Canada, in the list of suspects, intensifying friction. India, in response, recalled Verma and other senior diplomats and expelled six Canadian diplomats from its territory.
These successive measures mark a low point in India-Canada relations, with both countries now operating with skeleton diplomatic teams.
