Reports of past meddling by the Indian government roiled Canada’s general election on Tuesday, putting Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative Party leader and the main challenger to Prime Minister Mark Carney, on the defensive.

       Canadian intelligence officials said Indian agents and proxies raised money and organized support for Mr. Poilievre in the 2022 Conservative Party leadership race that he won, Canadian news media reported on Tuesday. Intelligence officials said there was no evidence that Mr. Poilievre or people close to him were aware of the interference.

       There was no indication that the meddling influenced the outcome of the leadership race, which Mr. Poilievre won in a first-round landslide, garnering 68 percent of the votes.

       But news of India’s involvement resurrects uncomfortable questions concerning Mr. Poilievre’s steadfast refusal to seek top security clearance to receive classified briefings on interference in Canada by foreign countries. Mr. Poilievre, the only federal party leader to refuse to get top security clearance, has said that getting the clearance would muzzle him about what he can say in public.

       Advertisement

       SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

       Canadian intelligence officials did not inform Mr. Poilievre of Indian interference in 2022 because he lacked the necessary security clearance, according to The Globe and Mail, which was the first to report on the meddling.

       A yearlong public inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian politics identified India as one of the main actors, along with China, saying that it supported candidates believed to be pro-India. One intelligence report released last year said that India had interfered “in a Conservative Party of Canada leadership race.’’

       Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like.