Global Courant 2023-06-01 01:34:51
After MPs voted to oust him on Wednesday, David Johnston said his mandate to investigate allegations of foreign interference comes from the government – not the House of Commons.
The former governor-general issued a statement following the vote on an NDP motion that conservatives and the Quebecois bloc supported while liberals opposed. It passed 174 to 150.
It called on Johnston – tasked in March by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with investigating allegations that China attempted to interfere in the past two federal elections – to “set aside his role”.
It asked the government to launch a public inquiry into the issue of foreign interference instead. Johnston, the former governor-general, advised against such an investigation in his first report last week.
“When I accepted the mandate to act as an independent special rapporteur, I did so with full knowledge that the work ahead would be neither simple nor uncontroversial,” Johnston said in his statement.
“I fully respect the right of the House of Commons to express its views on my future work, but my mandate comes from the Government. I have a duty to continue that work until my mandate is complete.”
Earlier in the day, Trudeau said he still had confidence in Johnston, despite the position of opposition MPs.
Opposition parties initially disapproved of his nomination because of Johnston’s family ties to the Prime Minister’s family and the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation.
Trudeau brushed off those concerns, telling reporters he views the case as political parties want to score “partisan points.”
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says parties are playing partisan games over David Johnston’s appointment as Special Rapporteur on Foreign Interference, reiterating Johnston’s impartiality and commitment to various federal parties throughout his political career.
“The fact is that David Johnston has served this country in an extraordinary way for decades,” Trudeau said Wednesday on his way to a meeting with his liberal caucus.
“He’s taken this incredibly seriously.”
Government House leader Mark Holland has said he has been trying to negotiate with opposition parties to find additional avenues to address concerns about foreign interference beyond what has already been offered.
Holland has repeatedly said that the hyperpolitical rhetoric surrounding the public discussions was counterproductive, but he declined to comment on what else the government has to offer.
Johnston said in his report that due to the sensitive nature of national security and the intelligence he studied, there would be no way to publicly disclose the information Canadians seek. He said that would defeat the purpose of a public inquiry.
He said he would instead hold a series of public hearings to explore the matter further.
Those hearings would aim to hear officials from both past and current governments, as well as members of diaspora communities affected by attempts at foreign interference.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has tried to walk a fine line in promoting the motion. He has said that while he has no qualms about Johnston, he understands that others do and that creates an appearance of bias that affects his work.
The motion was tabled by NDP Jenny Kwan. She recently told reporters that Canada’s Security Intelligence Service had informed her that she had been targeted by China since before the 2019 federal vote because of her advocacy for human rights in China.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh speaks to reporters about an NDP motion to have David Johnston step down as Special Rapporteur on foreign interference on May 29, 2023. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
Trudeau has dismissed claims that Johnston is in a conflict of interest as politically motivated attacks without any factual basis.
Speaking to reporters last week, Johnston also defended his work, saying this was the first time his impartiality had been called into question, which he finds “disturbing.”
He has said his “friendship” with the prime minister is only rooted in the five or so times their families went skiing together decades ago.
Trudeau was also a student at McGill University during the time Johnston served as principal and vice-chancellor.
