New Details of Johnston Mandate Emerge as MPs Allege Obstruction on Foreign Meddling

Jody Thomas, National Security and Intelligence Advisor waits to appear as a witness at the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (PROC) regarding foreign election interference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Mar. 1, 2023. The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby

More details have come to public light about the mandate and remuneration for former governor general David Johnston, whom Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed to investigate allegations of foreign interference in the last two federal elections.

Orders in council made public this week show that Johnston will receive between $1,400 and $1,600 per day while working on a part-time basis, over a term expected to end in December.

Trudeau’s office had previously announced that Johnston would have access to classified national-security documents during his tenure, that he would report on whether a public inquiry is needed by May 23, that he would provide regular reports to Trudeau and that he would release his final conclusions by the end of October.

His mandate includes assessing the extent and impact of foreign interference in Canada’s electoral process and reviewing the federal government’s response to threats in the past two elections, including the extent to which Trudeau was briefed.

Johnston is also tasked with making recommendations on how to address the alleged meddling.

Beyond accessing classified documents, the newly released mandate details that Johnston will also have access, “where necessary in their estimation,” to records protected by cabinet confidence. He also has permission to engage with senior government officials and political parties.

The order-in-council documents also say that the government will pay for any travel or living expenses Johnston incurs outside his normal place of residence, as long as he stays in Canada. The cost of expert staff, “as required,” and “any other reasonable expenses” will also be covered.

His reports will be added to a growing pile of government-led reviews of foreign interference.

On Thursday, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc and clerk of the Privy Council Janice Charette delivered a report to Trudeau with updates on efforts to counter foreign interference.

The report said that via an incoming National Counter-Foreign Interference Coordinator, the government aims to enhance its communication with Canadians about foreign interference and institute new briefings with national security officials for MPs, senators and their staff.

That co-ordinator—a role that Trudeau announced in March alongside that of the special rapporteur—will also work on expanding briefing mechanisms with provincial, territorial, municipal and Indigenous officials, the report said.

The details of Johnston’s appointment come as members of a parliamentary committee say they continue to wait for information about when Trudeau was briefed about Beijing’s alleged interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

MPs from the procedure and House affairs committee have sent a letter to Charette, who is Canada’s top civil servant, following up on their previous request for answers.

The letter obtained by The Canadian Press was signed by Conservative, Bloc Québécois and New Democrat MPs.

Jody Thomas, the prime minister’s national security adviser, told the committee early last month that she would disclose the dates when Trudeau received intelligence briefings about alleged meddling in Canadian elections.

But the letter’s signatories say no such information has been provided, and they are accusing officials of a deliberate effort to obstruct the committee’s study of foreign interference.

They say they would like to receive the information prior to the upcoming testimony of the prime minister’s chief of staff, Katie Telford, who is slated to appear before the committee sometime next week.