By Sally Barnes
We owe David Johnston our thanks and an apology.
By accepting the job of “special rapporteur” to study foreign meddling in our elections, this elder statesman has unburdened Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of a political hot potato and is about to open a real can of worms.
At the age of 81, with a string of accomplishments and commendations, David Johnston does not have to prove anything to anyone. Most especially, after 50 years in public service, he shouldn’t have to defend his reputation or his integrity.
By his own stonewalling and obfuscation, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has created a firestorm of public concern and debate over the integrity of our democratic process and he has done David Johnston no favour by turning to him for help.
Trudeau defines Johnston’s newly minted role as “special rapporteur” but it’s all about cleaning up the mess in aisle four or wherever we stock trust in our democratic institutions these days.
Thanks to media and security reports, Canadians just woke up to learn the enemy is not just at the gate but in our schools, governments, political parties, libraries, media, workplaces, labs…..maybe even our homes.
At question is the extent to which China’s Communist government has infiltrated and influenced so much of our way of life, the dangers therein to national security, and what if anything our government is doing about it. Specifically, how much does the prime minister know about Chinese interference and how long has he known? He won’t say.
In recent weeks as media stories broke and security and intelligence sources emerged with increasing frequency, authenticity, and drama, the Trudeau government went into denial—apparently believing that the public was little interested in foreign espionage while our food prices, inflation, and interest rates soar and our health care system falls apart.
Alas, research shows the public is concerned about the integrity of our elections. A majority favours a public inquiry while Trudeau remains clearly opposed and went so far as Liberals blocking his chief of staff from testifying before a parliamentary committee.
That logjam was removed only after a last-minute agreement to define and widen Johnston’s mandate and allow the chief of staff and senior officials of other political parties to testify.
It’s fair to ask what the Prime Minister has to hide.
Johnston has two months to recommend whether an inquiry should be held.
Truth to tell, Joe the local bartender or Wiarton Willie, or any of the majority of Canadians who are now concerned about this issue could have done that.
At this point, anything but a full and open inquiry would be rejected by the public.
Trudeau has vowed to accept Johnston’s advice and to fulfill his recommendations…sight unseen.
To me, that willingness shows both how much faith he places in his chosen rapporteur and how desperate he is to get this issue out of the headlines.
Foreign influence and meddling by China and other nations have been known for a long time but have remained under the radar until recently when the chop suey hit the fan and the public got a whiff of the seriousness and prevalence of the situation.
Critics of the rapporteur proposal came down hard on two issues: concerns over Johnston’s personal, long-term relationship with the prime minister’s family and the narrow focus of the mandate. All opposition parties argue that any review must cut through secrecy, cast a much wider net on foreign meddling and influence, and recommend how public confidence can be restored.
Hopefully, Johnston can emerge from this latest assignment with his stellar reputation for public service intact and consensus that he did more than kick the can down the road to buy time for the Trudeau government to get its act together.
It won’t be easy. The ink was hardly dry on his appointment and his mandate still unclear when some critics questioned his impartiality. Leading the charge are Conservatives who conveniently fail to mention that it was their government that appointed Johnston as Governor General and other major roles when they were in office.
Johnston’s sins? Hold onto your hats. Providing a delicious gotcha moment for the Tories, Justin Trudeau talked about his appointee as a “friend and neighbour.”
Well, yes, Justin Trudeau played with the Johnston kids when their parents owned family cottages in the Laurentians and I guess we should also be concerned that when David was GG and Justin was PM their official residences of Rideau Hall and Rideau Cottage respectively made them neighbours. Sophie Gregoire Trudeau may have even borrowed a cup of sugar from Sharon Johnston on occasion.
Then there is the more complicated matter of the Trudeau Foundation, the taxpayer-endowed body which funds scholars in a variety of scientific fields and is named in recognition of Justin’s father, former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. There are hundreds of foundations in Canada—all clamoring for money, influence, and prestige.
Grandees from the worlds of politics, business, academia, media, and others have been involved with the Trudeau Foundation over the years, including Johnston who has served on its board. Notably, its funding comes from many sources, has increased since Justin was elected PM, and there are reports that in the wake of controversy the foundation has returned donations traced back to China.
That’s all enough to throw Tories into a tailspin and to label Johnston a Trudeau lackey. Only in Canada, you say. Pity.
Some critics argue that an inquiry should include all foreign interference and not just that of the Chinese government. Furthermore, it should extend to university research, exploitation of resources, military secrets, and the use of threats to our citizens of Chinese origin who speak out against Beijing or fail to support and promote its political goals at home and abroad.
Liberals are considered more friendly to China than Conservatives and the Liberal Party and candidates benefit accordingly. As is his wont, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has been especially outspoken and is accused of character assassination in his criticism of Trudeau’s choice of Johnston.
There is no question that the issue is providing some Grade A red meat for the rightwing Conservative base that thrives on anger and division and a get-tough approach to most issues. Those who will suffer the most are vulnerable communities like immigrants and especially those of Chinese origin.
Meanwhile, David Johnston will do his best for the country— as he always has.
In the ongoing public debate, responsible leaders will stress that our quarrel is not with the Chinese people but with the parasitic, racist, and vengeful Communist government of China that has no respect for human rights at home or abroad.
It’s challenging times like these when our Prime Minister has a knack for staring right into the camera, recognizing a problem, and declaring in his most solemn and dramatic fashion: “This is not who we are.”
And it’s times like these when I fear that maybe this is what we could become.
Sally Barnes has enjoyed a distinguished career as a writer, journalist and author. Her work has been recognized in a number of ways, including receiving a Southam Fellowship in Journalism at Massey College at the University of Toronto. A self-confessed political junkie, she has worked in the back-rooms for several Ontario premiers. In addition to a number of other community contributions, Sally Barnes served a term as president of the Ontario Council on the Status of Women. She is a former business colleague of Doppler’s publisher, Hugh Mackenzie, and lives in Kingston, Ontario. You can find her online at sallybarnesauthor.com.
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