(Ottawa) The Independent Special Rapporteur on Foreign Interference, David Johnston, said it calmly but determinedly: if he has heard the criticisms surrounding the conclusions of his report, we will not stop him just to finish his job.
The former governor general of Canada knew full well that he would be beaten during his three-hour appearance before the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs on Tuesday. He thus set the table for the meeting by taking note of the controversy surrounding his first report and his appointment.
“I heard clearly the disagreements regarding my recommendation not to launch a public inquiry, as well as the allegations surrounding my integrity and independence. These claims are simply false. And the decision to repeat them does not make them true, ”he launched in the opening.
“I will continue to welcome disagreements on my recommendations, but I will not let myself be deterred from finishing my work,” pleaded David Johnston with the deputies of the committee which is examining the issue of foreign interference.
First to question the witness, the Conservatives went on the attack, first by asking about the ties between the Johnston family and the Trudeau family, listing a series of assertions made on this subject by the former governor general on some TV sets.
The exchanges quickly became stormy, prompting the chair of the committee, the Liberal Bardish Chagger, to pull out her stopwatch to ensure that there was a fair amount of time between the questions of the Conservative MPs and the answers of witness Johnston.
No intention of resigning
David Johnston’s appearance comes just under a week after the adoption of an NDP motion calling for him to step down. “I have a deep respect for the House of Commons and its right to express an opinion on my work,” he said.
The motion, endorsed by 174 votes to 150, also called on the Trudeau government to launch a public and independent inquiry into foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.
In either case, David Johnston reiterated Tuesday that he had no intention of complying.
“I find this disappointing,” said Chief Jagmeet Singh, who was exceptionally on the committee.
Hearings next month
While he did not recommend the investigation demanded by all opposition parties, the former Governor General – whose impartiality is in question because of his ties to Justin Trudeau, his past affiliation with the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, and its Sinophilia – ruled in favor of public hearings.
The hearings, which he will lead, should get under way next month, he said on Tuesday.
And according to him, “there should not be a separate public inquiry and there is no need to hold one”, because “a public inquiry into the leaked documents could not not be conducted in public, given the sensitivity of the intelligence”.
Bloc Québécois MP Alain Therrien expressed his incomprehension of this conclusion. Why was it possible to conduct a public inquiry into the Maher Arar affair, which involved the study of secret CSIS documents, and not into foreign interference?
PHOTO PATRICK DOYLE, THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Alain Therrien
“I appeal to your intelligence, and I know that you are a very brilliant man. […] What is the difference between what is classified in foreign interference and the case of classifying information for Maher Arar? Why is it worse than Maher Arar? “asked the elected representative of the Bloc Québécois to the witness.
“This is one of the issues we hope to explore in depth during the hearings. […] if we can determine what should be kept secret, and what can be made public, ”replied David Johnston.
His interlocutor saw it as a validation of his position. “You tell me that we don’t know why we can’t have one, a public and independent investigation. That’s what I heard. […] You’re not even ready to tell me today that we don’t need it,” concluded Alain Therrien.
Justin Trudeau criticizes the opposition
Prime Minister Trudeau continues to line up behind David Johnston, against all odds.
“You have to be very, very specific about what is happening. The opposition parties, particularly the Conservative Party, only want to make unfounded personal attacks on this issue of foreign interference, ”he again criticized Tuesday morning before the meeting of the Council of Ministers.
The elected Liberals who sit on the committee echoed these criticisms, Jennifer O’Connell notably accusing the Conservatives of spreading “conspiracy theories” about “kids playing together”, referring to the ski trips of the Johnston children and Trudeau.