David Johnston, Independent Special Rapporteur on Foreign Interference, appears as a witness at the Procedure and House Affairs Committee on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, June 6, 2023.
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Former governor general David Johnston has said he will resign by the end of June as the Liberal government’s special rapporteur into foreign interference.
After months of controversy over his appointment over perceived conflicts of interest, Johnston released a letter late Friday afternoon quitting his role, saying his goal of strengthening democratic institutions was not being met.
“My objective was to help build trust in our democratic institutions. I have concluded that given the highly partisan around my appointment and work, my leadership has had the opposite effect,” he said in a letter to the prime minister.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has faced opposition pressure since early this year to call a public inquiry serious allegations of foreign interference in Canada’s election that might have benefited the Liberal party. He hired Johnston in March to look into the matter and whether a public inquiry was advisable.
In his first report delivered May 23, Johnston recommended against a public inquiry and said he would instead personally chair a series of pubic meetings, involving the public and government officials, to discuss foreign interference, its effects on diaspora communities and policy measures that could improve the government’s response. The prime minister supported the plan.
Opposition parties continued to criticize Johnston’s suitability for his role, due to his close ties to the Trudeau family. Johnston knew Trudeau as a child and his family skied with the Trudeaus. The two also lived on the grounds of Rideau Hall together when Johnston was governor general and Trudeau, after being elected prime minister, moved to Rideau Cottage.
Johnston was also a member of the Trudeau Foundation, which accepted a controversial donation from a Chinese billionaire that was revealed this year to be an attempted influence operation from the communist regime in Beijing.
Johnston, a prominent academic, came to the position without much experience in intelligence and with a history of promoting ties with China. He said his recommendation against a public inquiry was because it would be redundant to the work he had already done. He also said that too much evidence would not be able to made public, due to its sensitive nature, although former CSIS agents have publicly disagreed with Johnston about that.
Article content
Former governor general David Johnston has said he will resign by the end of June as the Liberal government’s special rapporteur into foreign interference.
After months of controversy over his appointment over perceived conflicts of interest, Johnston released a letter late Friday afternoon quitting his role, saying his goal of strengthening democratic institutions was not being met.
“My objective was to help build trust in our democratic institutions. I have concluded that given the highly partisan around my appointment and work, my leadership has had the opposite effect,” he said in a letter to the prime minister.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has faced opposition pressure since early this year to call a public inquiry serious allegations of foreign interference in Canada’s election that might have benefited the Liberal party. He hired Johnston in March to look into the matter and whether a public inquiry was advisable.
In his first report delivered May 23, Johnston recommended against a public inquiry and said he would instead personally chair a series of pubic meetings, involving the public and government officials, to discuss foreign interference, its effects on diaspora communities and policy measures that could improve the government’s response. The prime minister supported the plan.
Opposition parties continued to criticize Johnston’s suitability for his role, due to his close ties to the Trudeau family. Johnston knew Trudeau as a child and his family skied with the Trudeaus. The two also lived on the grounds of Rideau Hall together when Johnston was governor general and Trudeau, after being elected prime minister, moved to Rideau Cottage.
Johnston was also a member of the Trudeau Foundation, which accepted a controversial donation from a Chinese billionaire that was revealed this year to be an attempted influence operation from the communist regime in Beijing.
Johnston, a prominent academic, came to the position without much experience in intelligence and with a history of promoting ties with China. He said his recommendation against a public inquiry was because it would be redundant to the work he had already done. He also said that too much evidence would not be able to made public, due to its sensitive nature, although former CSIS agents have publicly disagreed with Johnston about that.
In the House of Commons last week, opposition parties came together voting on a resolution calling on Johnston to resign from his role as special rapporteur. Johnston initially said he would not resign, before doing so on Friday.
In his resignation letter, Johnston said he would add a final report of his work later this month, but will not oversee the public hearings he had planned. He encouraged Trudeau to ensure the plan continues.
“I encourage you to appoint a respect person with national security experience to complete the work that I recommended,” he wrote in his resignation letter.
He also advised Trudeau to seek the opinion of opposition parties in selecting his replacement.
Opposition politicians said the resignation is another signal that a public inquiry should begin.
“David Johnston has done the right thing,” NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh tweeted Friday. “Now the prime minister must call a public inquiry, so that we can restore trust in our democracy.”
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet said in French that he salutes Johnston’s dignified decision, and that Trudeau has no choice now but to call a public inquiry.
Former Conservative leader and MP Erin O’Toole called Johnston an “exceptional Canadian” in a tweet of his own, thanking him for his service to the country.
“It is so disappointing that the prime minister used his stellar reputation as a political shield. It is time to finally call a national inquiry to look at how best to safeguard our democracy from interference,” he wrote.
The Privy Council Office released a statement after Johnston’s resignation thanking him for his work to date.
“The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) continues its review of the state of foreign interference in federal election processes. As well, the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) is examining how Canada’s national security agencies handled the threat of foreign interference during the 43rd and 44th federal general elections,” the statement said.
“The Government remains committed to taking action to protect our institutions and uphold Canadians’ confidence in our democracy and will announce next steps in due course,” it added.
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