Canada-India tension could become opportunity for foreign powers: State Department

A senior State Department official says Canada's dispute with India could make for fertile ground for foreign efforts to sow disinformation.

James Rubin, the co-ordinator of the Global Engagement Center, says the diplomatic standoff makes Canada "ripe" for manipulation, and not just from inside India.

A new report from the centre describes in detail the lengths China is going to dominate the information space around the world, including in Canada.

The report notes how Chinese operatives used the WeChat messaging platform in an effort earlier this year to discredit Ontario MP Michael Chong.

Chong was in D.C. last month to testify before a congressional committee about the experience.

Rubin says any underlying currents of discontent can make a country vulnerable to tailored false narratives designed to exploit those tensions.