India slams Canada for branding it a 'cyber threat' alongside Russia and China

India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson responded sharply on Saturday after Canada’s government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described India as a "cyber adversary," heightening the already tense diplomatic standoff between New Delhi and Ottawa.

Canada included this designation in its National Cyber Threat Assessment 2025-26, released by the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security on Tuesday.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal addressed Canada’s new classification of India, grouping it with countries like Russia, China, and North Korea. He described this move as a further "attack" on India.

"This appears to be another example of a Canadian strategy to attack India. As I mentioned earlier, their senior officials have openly confessed that they are seeking to manipulate global opinion against India. As on other occasions, imputations are made without any evidence," Jaiswal stated. 

According to news agency Reuters, Canada’s signals intelligence agency, which tracks foreign cyber threats, suggested on Wednesday that India was likely already engaged in cyber activities threatening Canadian networks, allegedly for espionage purposes.

Canada’s Communications Security Establishment (CSE) chief, Caroline Xavier, was quoted in the report, saying, "As Canada and India potentially may have some tensions, it is possible that we may see India want to flex those cyber threat actions against Canadians."

Also read: India summons Canadian diplomat over allegations against Amit Shah

India has also accused Canada of "harassment and intimidation" by subjecting its consular officials there to audio and video surveillance, actions New Delhi claims violate diplomatic norms.

Responding to questions at a press briefing, Jaiswal said, "Yes, some of our consular officials were recently informed by the Canadian government that they have been and continued to be under audio and video surveillance. Their communications have also been intercepted. We have formally protested to the Canadian government, as we deem these actions to be in flagrant violation of relevant diplomatic and consular conventions."

Jaiswal further criticised Canada, saying, "The Canadian government cannot justify the fact that it is indulging in harassment and intimidation."

The two countries' relations have been strained since Canadian PM Trudeau last year alleged that Indian agents might have been involved in the killing of Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

(With inputs from agencies)