GoochGuardian

Former governor general David Johnston, appointed by Justin Trudeau to investigate Chinese state interference in Canadian politics, has resigned the post.
In a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau, he blamed the “highly partisan atmosphere around my appointment.”
He said he is tendering his resignation effective no later than the end of June, “or as soon as I deliver a brief final report, which I hope to be earlier.”
Mr. Johnston urged Mr. Trudeau to continue investigating foreign interference.
“A deep and comprehensive review of foreign interference, its effects, and how to prevent it, should be an urgent priority for your government and our parliament,” he wrote.
Mr. Johnston said he remains convinced a public inquiry is not the best way to handle the matter.
“Although I concluded that a public inquiry under the Inquiries Act would not be a useful way to deal with what is almost exclusively classified information, I recommended public hearings both to educate the public and to consider necessary reforms to various aspects of the government’s systems and policies dealing with foreign interference,” the former governor general wrote.


His resignation comes one day after Mr. Johnston fired Navigator after learning it also advised former Liberal MP Han Dong, whose conduct he scrutinized as part of his inquiry into Chinese foreign interference.
Mr. Johnston’s office on Thursday said it decided to end its relationship with Navigator after The Globe and Mail reached out to inquire about whether the firm had worked earlier this year for the Toronto MP, now sitting as an Independent.
“The first Mr. Johnston heard of any relationship between Navigator and Han Dong was when he received [The Globe’s] questions,” spokesperson Valérie Gervais said in an e-mailed statement.
“Mr. Johnston has decided, under the circumstances, it would be best to end their engagement with the ISR team,” she said, referring to the Office of the Independent Special Rapporteur (ISR).


She said Navigator was not involved in Mr. Johnston’s review of allegations against Mr. Dong, who resigned from the Liberal caucus in March after Global News reported that he allegedly advised the Chinese consular-general in 2021 that China should extend the detention of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.
In his Friday resignation letter, Mr. Johnston said there is lots of reform Canada must undertake to better combat foreign interference.
“The concluding pages of my first report identified numerous areas in need of study, analysis and reform, including, although not limited to, the effects of foreign interference on diaspora communities, legal and regulatory reforms necessary to more comprehensively address foreign interference, and a comprehensive review of the way in which intelligence is communicated and processed from security agencies through to and within government,” he said.
He urged Mr. Trudeau to appoint a new special rapporteur to continue the work.


“I encourage you to appoint a respected person, with national security experience, to complete the work that I recommended in my first report. Ideally you would consult with opposition parties to identify suitable candidates to lead this effort. My legal team and I will be happy to assist in any way we can. Yours faithfully.”
Mr. Johnston came under criticism for his long friendship with the Trudeau family, for serving as a member of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation and for hiring as lead counsel Torys LLP lawyer Sheila Block, who has donated to the Liberal Party from 2006 to 2022 and attended a private fundraiser in 2021 where the Prime Minister was a guest of honour. Ms. Block, a senior lawyer at international business law firm Torys LLP, donated $7,593.38 to the Liberal Party between 2006 and 2022.
He also conceded Tuesday to MPs that his findings that China did not orchestrate a campaign against the Conservative Party may have been based on incomplete intelligence, casting doubt on his report’s conclusion that a public inquiry into Beijing interference in Canadian democracy is not warranted.
In testimony before the Commons committee on procedure and House affairs, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh pressed Mr. Johnston to explain a contradiction between his report and what former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole told Parliament last week.
On May 30, Mr. O’Toole informed the House that CSIS briefed him that “my party, several members of my caucus and me were targets of misinformation and voter suppression that was orchestrated by China before and during the 2021 election.”
Mr. Singh asked Mr. Johnston about his findings in his May 23 report that said “misinformation could not be traced to a state sponsored source.” The NDP Leader asked: “How could you have such different conclusions from what Mr. O’Toole received?” Mr. Johnston said his report was based on what he knew at the time.
“The evidence that we had before us that permitted us to come to the conclusion that you suggested was what was available to us at that time,” Mr. Johnston responded, saying his report was tabled before Mr. O’Toole had been briefed by CSIS director David Vigneault.
Conservative MP Michael Cooper later pressed the special rapporteur on this.
“Are you saying you didn’t have all of the material evidence and intelligence when you drafted your report?” Mr. Cooper asked.
Mr. Johnston replied: “We reported on what was available to us. What transpired between the director of CSIS and Mr. O’Toole, I don’t know.”