Jerema: Trudeau ‘family friend’ David Johnston not the man to restore election confidence

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There is no indication that Johnston is anything but a man of integrity, which is why he should have turned down the special rapporteur job

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Published Mar 15, 2023  •  Last updated 5 hours ago  •  4 minute read

Former governor general David Johnston (L) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) after a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 18, 2013. Photo by Kota Endokota /ENDO/AFP/Getty Images Article content

No one in this country, certainly no one deemed an “eminent Canadian,” can escape the corrupting influence that radiates outward from the Liberal party. Not even former governor general David Johnston, who is generally considered to have been the platonic ideal of the Queen’s (now King’s) representative.

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A man with personal connections to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Johnston should have never accepted the position of independent special rapporteur investigating foreign election interference, which was announced Wednesday. This being Canada, you can’t throw a rock without hitting someone attached, in some way to the Liberal party, even if only remotely or tangentially.

Trudeau has described Johnston as a “family friend” and as a friend of Trudeau’s father. Johnston is involved with the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, as a “member” who advises and helps select the board of directors. The foundation is, of course, implicated in allegations the Chinese government tried to use it to influence Justin Trudeau ahead of the 2015 election. That doesn’t mean Johnston himself is implicated, but someone with more distance from the matters being investigated would have clearly been preferable.

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As head of the federal leaders debate commission, Johnston appointed WE Charity cofounder Craig Kielburger to the advisory board. A Trudeau friend appointing someone whose charity regularly paid Trudeau family members to speak at events and was granted a plum government contract in 2020, is the sort of thing that is just expected in Liberal circles, it seems.

Despite appearances, there is no indication that Johnston is anything but a man of integrity, which is why he should have stayed far away from the government’s so-called investigations into interference, lest he open himself up to attacks and allegations his appointment was motivated by partisanship.

Trudeau announced over a week ago that he would be appointing an “eminent Canadian” to investigate foreign electoral interference, in the wake of allegations that the Chinese Communist Party funnelled illegal donations to multiple Liberal candidates in the 2019 and 2021 elections. The prime minister has refused to answer questions about what he knew and when, despite mounting evidence that his government was warned by intelligence officials about Chinese interference repeatedly since at least 2017.

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Instead, Trudeau is tasking committees and panels to investigate China’s influence. He has dismissed calls for a public inquiry, but decided to appoint the rapporteur to recommend whether an inquiry is needed. The position is a pointless distraction, created for the nakedly self-serving and partisan reason of delaying Trudeau having to answer questions, perhaps until Canadians have stopped paying attention.

Johnston’s connections to the prime minister should have disqualified him from being appointed, not because the former governor general is incapable of performing his duties objectively, but because reasonable Canadians will find it difficult to accept Johnston’s conclusions were not influenced in some way.

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It would be hardly surprising if it was learned that it never occured to Trudeau, or to senior Liberals, that the appointment might raise questions. Apparently, this is simply how things are done.

But even without the personal connections, Johnston would still be part of the Central Canadian establishment, and holding the worldview that that implies. He would be unlikely to upset the status quo, no matter what.

During the period in which Johnston’s governor generalship overlapped with Trudeau’s government, he was entirely in tune with the Liberal approach to Beijing relations. Johnston led a mission to China in 2017 to discuss an agreement over culture and winter sports. When there, he met with President Xi Jinping, who told Johnston “You are an old friend of the Chinese people.” Johnston replied with “Mr. President, it’s wonderful to be back in China. I feel I’ve returned home,” adding “We are especially grateful to you for making time for us.”

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The meeting between the two was notable at the time, as five minutes after it started, Chinese dissident and Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo died of cancer, while in custody after being convicted by the regime of “inciting subversion of state power.”

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As head of the debate commission, Johnston tried to deny accreditation to Rebel News so that it could cover the 2021 election debate in person. A judge overturned the decision after Rebel News argued in court “The imposition of these standards amounts to an attempt to regulate the media industry and profession.” Regardless of what anyone thinks of Rebel News, it isn’t the role of a government body to determine which media can cover which events.

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What likely matters most to Liberals is that Johnston holds all the same “correct” opinions that they do.

It is possible that the newly appointed special rapporteur will be able to competently perform his role as mandated, which is “to look into foreign interference in the last two federal general elections and make expert recommendations on how to further protect our democracy and uphold Canadians’ confidence in it.”

But, if the government really does take any “attempts at undermining our democracy very seriously,” as the statement announcing Johnston’s appointment stated, it wouldn’t be dedicating as much energy as it does to attacking anyone with legitimate concerns over election interference.

Johnston’s appointment certainly won’t change that calculation, but neither would appointing someone who’s qualifications and background were entirely above reproach. The special rapporteur position was not designed to enlighten. It was designed to confuse.

National Post

cjerema@postemdia.comTwitter.com/CarsonJerema

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