After reading his report, I must confess that the special rapporteur appointed by Justin Trudeau is aptly named. His report is truly special… He recognizes the seriousness of the interference, but in the same breath sides with minimalist solutions.
Above all, he agrees with Justin Trudeau on essentially all points. First, he rejects the proposal for a public inquiry, the one thing that pleases the government.
Then he also supports Justin Trudeau on the fact that the current mechanisms for combating interference work well. He was not aware of any instance where the Prime Minister or a minister lacked diligence when informed of problematic situations.
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The fault of the media
For that matter, he also agrees with the Prime Minister on his understanding of the work of the media in the case of interference. The media stirred up the public with elements taken in isolation from the reports of the intelligence services. They presented facts and events without providing full context.
The source of the leaks should therefore be tackled without delay. (Exactly what the Trudeau government announced). In fact, judging by the tone of the report, journalistic sources should be attacked more vigorously than the interference itself.
However, without journalistic sources like the Globe and Mail, this issue of Chinese interference would never have been brought to the attention of the public. The authors of the interference would never be found in the eye of the tornado. And we would never have developed the collective awareness of the need to protect Canadian democratic institutions.
real and serious
Yet the same David Johnston in his report does not deny at all the importance or gravity of the phenomenon. I quote: “There is no doubt that foreign governments seek to influence candidates and voters…”
He also acknowledges that foreign interference is increasing and that China is “particularly active” in such activities. And he finds “serious deficiencies in the way intelligence is relayed and processed between security agencies and the government.” Very serious, but not enough to give the big blow.
One thing is certain, by giving blessings to Justin Trudeau all along the line, David Johnston also proves Pierre Poilievre right. The latter must be rubbing his hands for having attacked the credibility of the special rapporteur from the day of his appointment. The Conservatives had spared no effort to present him as a close friend of Justin Trudeau and associate him with the Trudeau Foundation.
Today, the image reflected by this very favorable report to the government accredits the thesis put forward by the Conservative leader.
Special Rapporteur Johnson is probably right on one point. A public inquiry into a topic like interference would end up being largely non-public. Anything related to the Secret Service should be held behind closed doors.
But what emerges from the published report is not this nuance. It is rather the impression of protecting the Trudeau government.