Canada intelligence flags Khalistani extremists as ongoing national security threat

A poll asks readers whether Canada should take stronger actions against groups promoting violent extremism, offering Yes, absolutely or No, it may lead to more tensions as options.

The article notes that India-Canada relations have been strained over concerns about Khalistani activity and allegations of Indian agents involved in Nijjar's killing, which India has rejected as politically motivated.

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme endorsed parts of the CSIS assessment but said there is no evidence linking threats to India. He told CTV that earlier statements about agents or proxies from the government were based on prior investigations, and that current transnational repression does not always connect to a foreign entity.

Canada's CSIS tabled a report in Parliament stating that Canada-based Khalistani elements continue to promote a violent extremist agenda and pose a national security threat. The document highlights the 40th anniversary of the Air India Flight 182 bombing and notes that there were no CBKE-related attacks in Canada in 2025. It describes ongoing involvement of CBKEs in violent activities and notes that some groups are linked to Canadian citizens who leverage institutions to promote violence and fund such activities. The report is based on the 2025 Canadian intelligence assessment and references a tone shift related to changes in political leadership, including Mark Carney.

The report references the 40th anniversary of the Air India Flight 182 bombing as part of its contextual background.

The report notes that there were no Canada-based Khalistani extremist attacks in Canada during 2025.

The article references the killing of NIA-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a gurdwara in 2023 as part of the backdrop to India-Canada relations.

The 2025 CSIS annual report was released on Friday, May 1, 2026. It reiterates that CBKEs continue to pose a national security threat, notes ongoing involvement in violent extremist activities, and describes connections to fundraising and using Canadian institutions. It states there were no CBKE-related attacks in 2025 and that some Canadians participate in lawful campaigning for Khalistan, while stressing that only a small group uses Canada as a base to promote or plan violence primarily in India.

In an interview with CTV News, Duheme stated that in the files involving transnational repression, there is no current connection with any foreign entity, based on available criminal information and investigations.

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said that there are currently no links between the Indian Government and transnational repression or foreign interference.

In March, British Columbia Premier David Eby said his government had 'no information' about Indian involvement in violence connected to the extortion crisis there.

During a late-February technical briefing, an unnamed official said, 'I really don’t think we’d be taking this trip if we thought these kind of activities were continuing.' The remark comes as context ahead of Prime Minister Carney's bilateral visit to India earlier in 2026.

CSIS states that India is among main perpetrators of foreign interference and espionage against Canada, alongside China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan. It adds that in 2025 a number of states, their intelligence services, and other affiliated organizations engaged in foreign interference and espionage activities in Canada, though the countries involved were not named.

CBKEs were named under the category of politically motivated violent extremism (PMVE), which CSIS says encourages the use of violence to establish new political systems, or new structures or norms within existing systems.

The 2025 CSIS report prefaced its remarks by noting that last year marked the 40th anniversary of the Air India Flight 182 bombing, whose suspects were pro-Khalistan extremists. It describes the attack as the deadliest terrorist incident in Canadian history, with 329 people killed.

CSIS said concerns over the presence of Canada-based Khalistani extremists (CBKEs) in the country were similar to those in the 2024 CSIS report, the first after Mak Carney became prime minister. It added that allusions to pro-Khalistan extremism were missing from CSIS reports after 2018, the period during Justin Trudeau's premiership.