ottawa3 May. Canada’s intelligence agency has for the first time declared Khalistani extremists as a ‘threat to national security’. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service has said that the group uses institutions to promote its ‘violent extremist agenda’ in the country. The agency highlighted in its 2025 report that the engagement of Khalistani extremists based in Canada in violent activities remains a national security threat to Canada and Canadian interests.
“Some Khalistani extremists are well-connected Canadian citizens, who take advantage of Canadian institutions to promote their violent extremist agenda and raise money from gullible community members, which is then diverted towards violent activities,” the report released on the Government of Canada website on Friday said.
It is noteworthy that the Indian government has already designated several Khalistani extremist groups operating from Canada as terrorist organizations due to their involvement in separatist activities within the country.
This report by the ‘Canadian Security Intelligence Service’ comes a year after the 40th anniversary of the bombing of Air India flight number 182. Khalistani extremists present in Canada were involved in that blast. “It remains the deadliest terrorist attack in Canadian history, killing 329 people, the majority of whom were Canadian citizens,” the report said.
However, the report notes that non-violent advocacy for a separate Khalistan state does not constitute extremism, and that some Canadians support the Khalistan separatist movement as legitimate and peaceful. “Only a handful of individuals are believed to be Khalistani extremists who incite, fund or plan violence, primarily in India, from a base in Canada,” it said.
It is noteworthy that India-Canada relations had reached the lowest level in 2023 when the then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had alleged India’s possible involvement in the murder of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. However, India rejected those allegations of Trudeau. Currently, under the leadership of Prime Minister Mark Carney, who took office last year, India and Canada have tried to strengthen their bilateral relations.
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