To explain his resignation, which he finally handed in last Friday, the former special rapporteur David Johnston evoked the wind of partisanship having blown so strongly on the file of foreign interference that it ended up taking away the credibility of his work, regardless of its quality.
It is a bit short as an explanation, because Mr. Johnston had not even begun his work of analysis that the apparent or real conflicts of interest linking him to the office of Prime Minister Trudeau were already tainting his conclusions. Moreover, if he has demonstrated one thing in his report, it is that there has indeed been foreign interference in the Canadian electoral process, and that this threat is neither frivolous nor anecdotal. Finally, he came up against limits along the way, due in particular to security issues surrounding certain information, and by his own admission his examination is not complete.
So we need a sequence of things, but what will it be? The shameless prevarications to which the government of Justin Trudeau indulged in this file, while a strong consensus militated in favor of an independent public inquiry, stunned the population. It has lost not only confidence, but also all interest in this case, which is of capital importance. We must act quickly, and announce by the end of the current parliamentary session the holding of this investigation and name its head, which is demanded by the opposition parties.
In his letter of resignation, Mr. Johnston himself recommended that opposition parties be part of the next stage. They can no longer content themselves with throwing stones at the government without participating constructively in the search for effective solutions. If meetings are taking place at the moment between certain parties to find ways out, that can only be a good thing. Partisanship can no longer taint the next few chapters, both for a competent succession to Mr Johnston’s work to be named and for the work to be held in a lenient manner, but also for elected officials to attempt to restore eroded trust public.
Through the voice of the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Dominic LeBlanc, the Liberal government is suggesting that it is now ready to consider an independent public inquiry, and this opening, however welcome it may be, must be quickly followed by a consensual announcement on a commission of inquiry and a running back. The debates have lasted long enough, time for decisions.