Trudeau Stands By Johnston’s Selection Following House Resolution Asking for His Ousting

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on March 6, 2023. Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday he stands with special rapporteur David Johnston, who will continue to carry out his mandate investigating foreign interference despite the passage of a House of Commons motion calling for his removal.

“He will continue his work in sharing with Canadians the concerns and the solutions around foreign interference. And I look forward to him holding public hearings across the country over the coming months to include Canadians in this important conversation, in a way that is grounded in facts,” Trudeau told reporters during a joint press conference with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawieck.

Trudeau appointed Johnston to be the special rapporteur on March 15 following media reports on widespread interference by the Chinese regime in Canada’s elections. Instead of launching a public inquiry, which opposition leaders repeatedly called for, the prime minister said he would heed the recommendations of Johnston.

When tabling his report on foreign election interference on May 23, Johnston said a public inquiry should not be held, as the Canadian public could not see the classified information informing his decision. Instead, Johnston called for a series of public hearings to “hear from Canadians about the numerous policy questions my work has raised.”

Opposition parties have criticized Johnston in his role as special rapporteur due to his past relationship with the Trudeau family and membership in the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation. On May 31, the non-binding motion calling for Johnston’s removal and the establishment of a public inquiry passed 174 to 150, with the Bloc Quebecois, Conservatives, and New Democrats all voting in favour.

Shortly after the vote, Johnston released a statement where he said, “I deeply respect the right of the House of Commons to express its opinion about my work going forward, but my mandate comes from the government. I have a duty to pursue that work until my mandate is completed.”

‘Extraordinary and Eminent Canadian’

Trudeau said Johnston was an “extraordinary and eminent Canadian” who had served the country for decades in a number of capacities, including as governor general under Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Trudeau added it was “unfortunate” that the leaders of the Conservatives and Bloc had refused to receive security briefings on foreign interference by Canada’s security agencies.

Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet has said the briefing was a “dumb trap” that would restrict him from telling Canadians about what he learned, while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he would be required to take an “oath to secrecy” that wouldn’t allow him to inform the public.

“They have refused to get security briefings on the actual facts surrounding the intelligence of the question of foreign interference, because they want to continue to smear and a man of unimpeachable integrity and deep commitment and service to Canada,” Trudeau said of the two leaders.

During a press conference on the same day, Poilievre said all the parties in the House of Commons should agree on a new special rapporteur who is “nonpartisan, not connected to any party leader, and who has a track record of objectivity, preferably as a judge.”

“I don’t think we should have someone who’s a family friend, a ski buddy, a chalet neighbour, a member of the Trudeau Foundation, which receives money from Beijing,” Poilievre said in reference to the $200,000 donation a Chinese businessman made to the foundation in 2016. “I think we should have someone who’s truly detached and has a lifetime of objective service to the country.”