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Conservatives’ Inside-Man Arpan Khanna’s Nomination Vote Under Investigation By CSIS Over India Interference
The Conservatives’ Inside-Man Arpan Khanna’s nomination vote last year is under investigation by Canada’s Spy Agency the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) allegedly for India interference. Khanna, who is a Conservative MP, has represented Oxford since a byelection last summer, which followed a chaotic nomination battle earlier that year. Khanna is a well-connected former Jason Kenney staffer and also served as Ontario co-chair of Pierre Poilievre’s leadership campaign. The CSIS investigation of Khanna is troubling given that the Conservatives and their current leader Poilievre have been hesitant to include India in a wider-ranging foreign interference inquiry brought on by parliament after Liberals’ China-linked scandals and allegations of China interference in Canada’s political circles. Since the inquiry was announced and will be wide-ranging, India has been accused by Canada and US of killing and attempting to kill Sikh political leaders which was also initially downplayed by Poilievre, asking for more proof but he has gone quiet after India’s murderous ways were further corroborated by the US which uncovered the murder of plot of Sikhs For Justice leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannu.
By DESIBUZZCanada Staff With News Files
OTTAWA – The Conservatives’ Inside-Man Arpan Khanna’s nomination vote last year is under investigation by Canada’s Spy Agency the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) allegedly for India interference.
PressProgress publication reported Friday that “Paranoia and confusion is running through conservative circles in Southwestern Ontario as word spreads that Canada’s spy agency is asking questions about India and a local Conservative nomination vote last year.”
Khanna, who is a Conservative MP, has represented Oxford since a byelection last summer, which followed a chaotic nomination battle earlier that year. Khanna is a well-connected former Jason Kenney staffer and also served as Ontario co-chair of Pierre Poilievre’s leadership campaign.
The CSIS investigation of Khanna is troubling given that the Conservatives and their current leader Poilievre have been hesitant to include India in a wider-ranging foreign interference inquiry brought on by parliament after Liberals’ China-linked scandals and allegations of China interference in Canada’s political circles. Since the inquiry was announced and will be wide-ranging, India has been accused by Canada and US of killing and attempting to kill Sikh political leaders which was also initially downplayed by Poilievre, asking for more proof but he has gone quiet after India’s murderous ways were further corroborated by the US which uncovered the murder of plot of Sikhs For Justice leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannu.
Khanna, who tried but failed to win a seat in Brampton in 2019, continues to be a subject of gossip in local Conservative circles, aspersions the Conservative MP has attributed to bitter internal political rivalries and racism, reported PressProgress .
Multiple Conservative sources told PressProgress they had heard whispers of some kind of investigation involving the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the Conservative Party of Canada’s 2023 nomination vote in Oxford.
While it remains unclear what sparked CSIS’ interest in the nomination, one person has shown evidence they were visited by CSIS agents who asked questions about the vote.
The source, who has deep ties to the Conservative Party and requested anonymity for fear of retribution, confirmed to PressProgress they were contacted by CSIS agents last year in regards to an investigation relating to the Conservative nomination race in Oxford.
“When they called me, they knew that (something) had gone on with the nomination process,” the Conservative told PressProgress, adding that the agents’ line of questions left them with the impression CSIS believed some “monkey business” had occurred.
They said two plain clothes CSIS agents later visited their home and asked questions focused on Khanna and specifically why the party establishment backed his nomination.
“Their question was ‘why Arpan?’ And did I know of any connection between Oxford county and India?” the Conservative said. “They asked if I knew what the connection with Oxford was to India, to which I said: ‘Nothing, it is a safe conservative riding’.”
While the riding Conservatives suspect party insiders interfered in the Oxford Conservative nomination, they said they had no knowledge of foreign interference, nor did the agents disclose their specific reasons for asking questions about Khanna, India or the Oxford Conservative nomination vote.
The Conservative shared a plain white business card featuring the spy agency’s embossed logo along with the name and contact information of the CSIS agent who visited them.
When PressProgress reporter Rumneek Johal called the number, the person who answered the phone number listed on the business card confirmed their name was the same name as the CSIS agent printed on the CSIS business card.
Without being told the purpose of the call, they asked: “This is in regards to Arpan Khanna?”
Told they were speaking to a journalist and asked directly if they worked for CSIS, they said they could “neither confirm or deny” who they worked for.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service said it is “unable to confirm or deny” that the graphic design or general appearance of the business card is consistent with official business cards used by the agency.
Michael Wilson, the Conservative Party of Canada’s legal counsel and a top field organizer for Poilievre’s 2022 leadership campaign, said in a letter to PressProgress that Khanna and the Conservative Party deny any knowledge of a “purported CSIS investigation” or “alleged irregularities during the 2023 Oxford nomination race.”
CSIS spokesperson said the Agency is actively monitoring “foreign interference” targeting Canadian democratic institutions, including individuals connected to party nomination races.
“Foreign interference involves foreign states such as the PRC, India or Russia attempting to covertly influence decisions, events or election outcomes to better suit their strategic interests. CSIS has observed foreign interference at all levels of government across Canada and across party lines targeting individuals in positions of potential influence.”
“In order to influence political outcomes, states may also exert pressure on communities, use covert funding or leverage foreign language media outlets,” CSIS noted. “Nomination processes are but one aspect of Canada’s democratic system that can be exploited to advance a foreign state’s interests.”
Courtesy PressProgress
