For over four decades, the diplomatic corridors between New Delhi and Ottawa have echoed with a singular, repetitive refrain: the “fomenting of violence” on Indian soil from Canadian sanctuaries. The “CSIS Public Report 2025, titled “A safe, secure and prosperous Canada through trusted intelligence, advice and action and published in March 2026, attempts to balance the scales by alleging “transnational repression” by India. However, it simultaneously validates New Delhi’s long-standing grievance by documenting the persistent threat of Canada-based Khalistani extremists (CBKE). This acknowledgment, though belated, marks a critical pivot in an era where extremist agendas are no longer just a regional concern for Punjab, but a direct challenge to Canada’s own national security.
The Long Memory of Air India
The tragedy of “Air India Flight 182, which claimed 329 lives, remains the deadliest terrorist attack in Canadian history. The “CSIS Public Report 2025” serves as a stark reminder that the suspects were members of Canada-based extremist groups. For forty years, India has argued that Ottawa’s response to such elements was filtered through a lens of domestic vote-bank politics rather than a clear-eyed security assessment.
The report now admits that these groups continue to pose a national security threat. It explicitly highlights that CBKEs “leverage Canadian institutions” to promote their cause and “collect funds from unsuspecting community members” that are then “diverted toward violent activities”. This admission mirrors the countless dossiers India has provided over the years, which were often met with bureaucratic inertia or dismissed as “political rhetoric.” The report clarifies that while non-violent advocacy for a separate state is lawful, a “small group” is using Canada as a base to promote and plan violence primarily in India.
The Evolving Threat: Gangsters and Ideologues
Perhaps the most significant development in recent years is the formal listing of the “Lawrence Bishnoi Gang” as a terrorist entity under Canada’s Criminal Code in September 2025. This transnational criminal organization has spread its tentacles from Punjab and Haryana into major Canadian hubs. For India, this listing is a validation of the “gangster-terror nexus” it has long warned about. These networks are increasingly used to carry out targeted violence, creating a “climate of insecurity” within the South Asian diaspora.
The inclusion of the Bishnoi Gang alongside other global cartels and extremist groups like the “Maniac Murder Cult” and “Terrorgram Collective” signals that Canadian intelligence is finally connecting the dots between organized crime and ideological violence. The “CSIS Public Report 2025” assesses that foreign actors will continue to use these “proxies,” including individuals involved with “transnational organized crime networks,” to target perceived enemies. This nexus has been visible in recent years through a string of extortions and targeted shootings in the Greater Toronto Area and British Columbia, often linked back to handlers sitting thousands of miles away in Punjab or other safe havens.
Violence in Punjab, Incubation in Canada
The feedback loop between Canadian extremists and violence in Punjab is a grim reality that has hampered bilateral relations. Despite no successful CBKE-related attacks within Canada in 2025, the “CSIS Public Report 2025.” acknowledges that these actors use Canada as a platform to support violence in India. Security agencies in Punjab have repeatedly linked “low-intensity” terror incidents—such as the RPG attack on the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali or the targeted killings of socio-religious leaders—to handlers and funding originating in North America.
The use of social media and encrypted messaging has allowed Canada-based extremists to radicalize youth in Punjab remotely. This “digital bridge” of extremism ensures that the heat generated in Canadian community centers is felt directly on the streets of Punjab. India has consistently impressed upon Canada that “freedom of speech” should not extend to the glorification of terrorists or the open solicitation of hits on Indian diplomats and leaders—acts that have become alarmingly frequent during protests in Ottawa and Vancouver.
Canadian Agency Actions: A Slow Recalibration
Canadian law enforcement has historically been accused of leniency, but recent actions suggest a gradual recalibration. The “CSIS Public Report 2025” notes that CSIS and the RCMP have been involved in the “disruption of at least 24 violent extremist actions” since 2022, resulting in arrests or terrorism peace bonds. Furthermore, CSIS conducted “1 warranted and 15 non-warranted” threat reduction measures in 2025 to disrupt foreign-influenced networks.The passage of the “Countering Foreign Interference Act” and the introduction of “Bill C-2 (Strong Borders Act)” in June 2025 aim to provide agencies with more teeth. These legislative shifts are intended to close the “lawful access” gaps that have previously allowed extremists to operate with a degree of anonymity. For instance, CSIS is seeking more authority to verify if an individual is a client of a telecommunications provider, an “initial building block” for national security investigations. These measures, while domestic in nature, directly impact the ability of Khalistani elements to use Canadian infrastructure to coordinate overseas violence.
The Geostrategic Cost of Inaction
The “CSIS Public Report 2025” frames the current environment as one of “turbulence,” noting that Canada’s role in protecting national security has never been more critical. However, for a true reset with New Delhi, Canada must move beyond simply “naming” the threat in intelligence reports. India’s patience has worn thin, as evidenced by the intense diplomatic friction following the 2023 Hardeep Singh Nijjar case. While Canada emphasizes its “sovereignty,” India emphasizes its “territorial integrity.”
The report admits that CSIS has had to “reprioritize its operations” to counter the actions of foreign intelligence services and their proxies. Yet, the core of the issue remains: if Canada remains a permissive environment for those who divert community funds to “violent activities” in India, the cycle of “transnational repression” and diplomatic friction will only continue. Trust, as the report notes, is “imperative” and must be earned through “honest and direct engagement”.
Conclusion: A Necessary Reset
The path forward requires a shared understanding of what constitutes a “threat.” For Canada, the focus is increasingly on protecting its democratic institutions from “foreign interference”. For India, the priority is dismantling the “vortex of violence” that has migrated from the fields of Punjab to the suburbs of Canada.
The listing of the “Bishnoi Gang” and the acknowledgment of “CBKE funding networks in the CSIS Public Report 2025” are steps in the right direction. However, until the “Maple Leaf’s shadow” is no longer a canopy for those who plan, fund, and celebrate violence against a fellow democracy, the relationship between New Delhi and Ottawa will remain in a state of suspended animation. It is time for Ottawa to treat the threats emanating from its soil with the same urgency it expects from its partners abroad.