A citizen group is raising concern that special rapporteur David Johnston’s key advisor appears to have donated over $7,500 to the Liberal Party of Canada.
Democracy Watch wrote in a press release on May 24 that while searching
Elections Canada’s database, it found that Johnston’s advisor Sheila Block “seems to have donated a total of $7,593.38 (listed under “Sheila Block” and “Sheila R. Block”) to only the Liberal Party of Canada from 2006 to 2022.”
A search on the website of Elections Canada shows a person named Sheila Block donated to the Liberal Party between 2006 and 2022.
The group said Block did not appear to have donated to any other party.
Block is a
senior trial and appellate counsel with the law firm Torys LLP.
Johnston said on May 23 in his
first report since being appointed as special rapporteur that he “retained” Block after accepting the role in March to assist him in conducting interviews and “obtaining, reviewing, and analyzing the materials” that he expected to receive in carrying out his investigation into foreign interference in Canada’s 2019 and 2021 general elections.
Block’s donations to the Liberal Party appear to mostly have come in 2006, in which year she donated $3,800 to the federal party. Block appears to have made her most recent donation to the party in October 2022 in the amount of $442.20. Prior to that, Block seems to have made two donations each worth $500 in March 2021.
The Epoch Times contacted Block for comment on the matter but did not hear back before press time.
Conflict of Interest Complaint
On May 23, Democracy Watch also
announced that it would be filing a complaint with the federal ethics commissioner’s office, alleging that Johnston is violating the Conflict of Interest Act in carrying out his appointed special rapporteur role because of his previous connections to Prime Minister Trudeau’s family.
Johnston said on the same day while speaking to reporters in Ottawa that former Supreme Court Justice Frank Iacobucci told him prior to his acceptance of the position that there was no conflict of interest in the matter.
“I have no doubt whatsoever that I had any conflict of interest and no doubt at all—speaking myself—about my impartiality,” Johnston said.
The special rapporteur and former governor general
said that a public inquiry into foreign election interference shouldn’t be held because the classified information informing the matter cannot be publicly revealed.
All federal opposition leaders
criticized Johnston’s decision, while Trudeau welcomed it and said he has “total confidence” in Johnston’s work.
“I committed to listening very carefully and abiding by the recommendations that the former governor general made, and he explained and justified his thought processes by it and we will be following his recommendations,” Trudeau
told reporters in Ottawa, on May 23.
Matthew Horwood contributed to this report.
