Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair said on Saturday that his country has warned China against interfering in its elections during a meeting with defense leaders of both nations.

The Canadian defense minister told Reuters, “I raised concerns about foreign interference in all the ways it can take, including interference in our institutions, particularly our elections, as well as collusion with Chinese citizens in various parts of Canada,” referring to his conversation with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun.

The Canadian domestic intelligence agency reported in April that China interfered in the recent elections as part of an official investigation into election interference. Beijing has denied these allegations.

Last year, Ottawa stated that a Conservative legislator with family in Hong Kong was the target of an online disinformation operation.

The government expelled a senior Chinese diplomat after an intelligence report accused him of attempting to target the legislator.

Blair also expressed concerns about Chinese military activities around Taiwan since the island's presidential elections in January during his meeting with Jun, which was held on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Defense Summit in Singapore.

The minister stated that Canada will increase its presence in Asia and communicate with India “to address issues of contention.”

Diplomatic relations have strained after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated last year that Canada “actively seeks credible allegations” that Indian agents may be linked to the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023. Canada charged three Indians with murder last month.

Blair said, “There can be no tolerance for the regional killing of Canadian citizens on Canadian soil.”
“But I believe (the allegations) have created the conditions under which we can begin to address issues of contention and some of the concerns that India has also expressed to us.”