Ottawa, March 20: Current law enforcement probes into transnational repression and clandestine operations in Canada have found no evidence of involvement by foreign governments. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Mike Duheme declared in an interview aired Sunday that the dots cannot be connected to any foreign entity based on the information currently before the agency.
The findings indicate that the sophisticated campaigns of violence and intimidation once attributed to external agencies are not reflected in the RCMP’s present criminal files. Duheme told CTV Question Period host Vassy Kapelos that for the investigations they have presently, they are not seeing any connection with any foreign entity. He noted that connecting specific activities to a foreign state is often a challenging task in complex criminal matters.
Regarding the presence of the Lawrence Bishnoi criminal network, Duheme maintained that the use of the group’s name may not always indicate a central command. He stated that certain individuals could be utilizing the moniker for its reputation, acting as copycats rather than operational members of the gang. This provides a different context to the targeted killings and threats that have been reported in various Canadian provinces over the last few years.
This current assessment departs from the position held in late 2024, when the RCMP reported a link between criminal acts and foreign diplomats. Duheme affirmed that his previous assertions were tied to the investigations of that specific period. The softening of the RCMP’s stance appears alongside efforts to stabilize international relations, as both Canada and India work to restore diplomatic channels through the naming of new envoys and high-level state visits.
