David Johnston resigning as special rapporteur amid controversy
Posted June 9, 2023 4:52 pm.
Last Updated June 9, 2023 5:08 pm.
Amid ongoing calls for his resignation, David Johnston has announced he is stepping down as Canada’s special rapporteur on foreign interference.
In a letter to the prime minister, Johnston says his objective when he accepted the role was to “help build trust in our democratic institutions.”
“I have concluded that, given the highly partisan atmosphere around my appointment and work, my leadership has had the opposite effect,” the letter reads.
“I am therefore tendering my resignation, effective no later than the end of June 2023, or as soon as I deliver a brief final report, which I hope to be earlier.”
Johnston was appointed special rapporteur by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to investigate alleged meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.
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Opposition MPs have been calling for his removal due to perceived bias, noting his friendship with Pierre Elliott Trudeau, which included ski trips the current prime minister joined when he was a child.
In a vote last month, MPs voted in favour of Johnston to be ousted, asking the government to instead launch a public inquiry into the issue of foreign interference, a move that all opposition parties want, but that the former governor general recommended against in his initial report.
“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,” Johnston’s resignation letter reads.
“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.”
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Johnston goes on to “encourage” the prime minister to “appoint a respected person, with national security experience,” to finish the work he outlined in his initial report. He also suggests Trudeau “consult with opposition parties” to find that person.
