David Johnston has resigned as special advisor to the Trudeau government. He really had no choice.
He put it this way: “When I undertook the task of Independent Special Rapporteur on foreign interference, my objective was to help build trust in our democratic institutions. I have concluded that given the highly partisan atmosphere around my appointment and work, my leadership has had the opposite effect.”
Well, he got that right. The former governor general, constitutional lawyer, and academic leader, never had a chance from the get-go. His reputation has been smeared and his integrity questioned and by the look of him lately, perhaps even his health compromised.
So, whose fault is that? Certainly, there is enough blame to go around but let’s start where the buck stops and that is with the Prime Minister. Here is a man who has been a political junkie almost since he was out of the cradle. Justin Trudeau would have known that David Johnston is the kind of Canadian who would never say “no” when called upon to serve his country.
The Prime Minister, and certainly the henchmen (and women) in his office, would have also known the political uproar that would ensue by appointing a person, no matter how well qualified, with ties to the Prime Minister and his family. It was like handing a ribbon-tied gift to the Opposition parties. One really needs to ask why.
Could it be that David Johnston was a dispensable screen to keep Justin Trudeau out of the limelight in relation to election interference by foreign entities? To have the spotlight shine on Johnston and his perceived conflicts and not on the Prime Minister? Surely not. Who would think that? (Sarcasm here)
But if it is true, the Opposition parties stepped right into it—hook, line, and sinker. They pilloried David Johnston, all three of them: Jagmeet Singh, Pierre Poilievre, and Yves Blanchet. A good man was taken down. In my view, they were sucker punched. David Johnston became the target and Justin Trudeau, at least on this issue, went off the front page.
I agree with former Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Erin O’Toole, when he said, “David Johnston is an exceptional Canadian. His service to our country has been extraordinary and I want Canadians to remember that. It is so disappointing that the Prime Minister used his stellar reputation as a political shield.” It is equally disappointing, in my view, that Opposition critics went along with it.
So, what now? Surely the time has come to take the focus off of personalities and focus on the matter of foreign interference in our elections. It may not be top of mind for many Canadians, but it is still very serious.
On this issue at least, it is time to stop playing “gotcha” politics and get down to the hard facts about whether China is interfering in our electoral process and using tactics of intimidation on Canadians of Chinese descent. There are other foreign governments that should be investigated in this regard as well. So far, that really has not happened.
I find it hard to believe that foreign interference actually changed any election results in the 2021 federal election. Those that want to go there are missing the bigger picture. That bigger picture, in my view, is whether or not our intelligence services are on top of what foreign entities are doing in this country, whether it is electoral interference, black hole police intimidation, or just plain espionage.
Fred De Lory is a prominent Conservative and was campaign manager for that party in the last federal election. In a recent appearance at the House of Commons Procedure Committee, he said this: “We are spending a lot of time trying to find out who did what, when, and where. I feel as legislators, a lot of effort should be going into putting legislation together to plug those holes………We are under threat here. All parties could be impacted by this in the next election. It can come from different entities; different countries and I really wish we could see a more collaborative approach to really drill down on what the issues are and how we solve them.”
To accomplish that, it is my view now that a public inquiry is imperative. Canadians need to know whether or not our Intelligence services are working and whether our sovereignty is protected. They need to know how much foreign interference there is in this country and, as importantly, what is being done about it. It is also my view that the terms of the public inquiry should be broad enough to look at all aspects of possible foreign interference in Canada in addition to elections.
Since David Johnston’s resignation, the Trudeau government has sent signals that they would consider a formal public inquiry. The question of course will be, who will lead it?
Dominic LeBlanc, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and probably the closest personal friend in Cabinet to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has reached out to Opposition leaders for suggestions as to who should lead this public inquiry should one be held.
Cynics have predicted that Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre would never participate in this process and never agree with the government on who should lead it. I hope that he will. There are good people out there and both he and David Johnston have said, although in different ways, that the next step in this process should be led by a capable and respected individual with national security experience.
If a public inquiry is held, Mr. Poilievre will have gotten what he asked for. Surely, now he has an obligation to participate in finding a suitable person to lead that inquiry. Unless, of course, he just wants another person he can attack. I hope that isn’t the case.
My cynical sense is that Dominic LeBlanc is hoping against hope that Mr. Poilievre will turn down the invitation to participate in finding a suitable candidate to lead this process. That would suit his party’s political purposes. At the very least, it would give them an excuse for not holding a public inquiry.
Pierre Poilievre should not give them that opportunity.
Hugh Mackenzie
Hugh Mackenzie has held elected office as a trustee on the Muskoka Board of Education, a Huntsville councillor, a District councillor, and mayor of Huntsville. He has also served as chairman of the District of Muskoka and as chief of staff to former premier of Ontario, Frank Miller.
Hugh has also served on a number of provincial, federal and local boards, including chair of the Ontario Health Disciplines Board, vice-chair of the Ontario Family Health Network, vice-chair of the Ontario Election Finance Commission, and board member of Roy Thomson Hall, the National Theatre School of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Canada. Locally, he has served as president of the Huntsville Rotary Club, chair of Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, chair of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, president of Huntsville Festival of the Arts, and board member of Community Living Huntsville.
In business, Hugh Mackenzie has a background in radio and newspaper publishing. He was also a founding partner and CEO of Enterprise Canada, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm established in 1986.
Currently, Hugh is president of C3 Digital Media Inc., the parent company of Doppler Online, and he enjoys writing commentary for Huntsville Doppler.
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