Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the Conservatives’ personal attacks against former governor general David Johnston — who is set to reveal Tuesday whether he believes a public inquiry into foreign interference is necessary — are “unseemly.”
LeBlanc, who is also the minister responsible for overseeing democratic institutions, told CTV’s Question Period host Vassy Kapelos, in an interview airing Sunday, that Johnston is a “senior statesman in public affairs and public service and the law,” and Canadians should judge him for his report, rather than being “unduly agitated by (Conservative Leader Pierre) Poilievre's negativity.”
Johnston was appointed special rapporteur in March amid growing concerns about foreign interference in Canada, specifically as it relates to the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.
When he was selected, opposition MPs were quick to question the decision. In particular, Johnston has been criticized for his close relationship with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his involvement with the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, which has also been at the centre of foreign interference allegations in recent months.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has repeatedly questioned Johnston’s neutrality, while also criticizing the role of special rapporteur altogether.
“He is Justin Trudeau’s ski buddy, his cottage neighbor, his family friend, and a member of the Trudeau Foundation, which got $140,000 from Beijing,” Poilievre told reporters on Thursday. “He has a fake job and he's unable to do it impartially.”
LeBlanc said the focus should be on Johnston’s work and the recommendations he’s set to make.
“I think it's been unseemly the way that Conservatives have attacked Mr. Johnston personally,” he said. “This is somebody who's never played a partisan role whatsoever.”
But when pressed on the optics of tapping Johnston for the special rapporteur role, and whether LeBlanc understands the choice could get in the way of Canadians’ confidence in Johnston’s reports and recommendations, LeBlanc said he “hope(s) not.”
“It's convenient for Mr. Poilievre to destroy institutions, to damage reputations. He does that regularly. He can be accountable for that,” LeBlanc said. “We think that the vast majority of Canadians understand Mr. Johnston's integrity, his service to the country.”
“We stand by Mr. Johnston's record of non-partisan service to Canada in senior roles, including governor general, as appointed by Mr. Poilievre’s former boss, Stephen Harper,” he also said. “And Canadians will judge Mr. Johnston by the report that he brings out on Tuesday.”
Since Johnston was tasked with judging whether a public inquiry into foreign interference is necessary, concerns around the issue have grown.
Earlier this month, a Chinese diplomat was expelled from Canada for allegedly trying to threaten Conservative MP Michael Chong and his family in 2021. Both Chong and Trudeau said they first learned about the threats from the media, when it was reported by The Globe and Mail.
“Obviously, we've said that it was unacceptable that the minister responsible at the time and the prime minister weren't made aware,” LeBlanc said. “That is a failing of information flow in the government. We've corrected that.”
The Canadian Press reported this week that Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino has issued a formal directive to Canada’s spy agency to disclose any foreign threats against parliamentarians and their families to the MP being targeted, and to the government.
LeBlanc wouldn’t say how many Chinese diplomats may have been involved in similar plots, or that are being investigated for interference attempts, but said “the government is aware of the extent of these activities, and the measures appropriate both to protect democratic institutions and the electoral system are in place.”
“I'm very confident that any gaps that existed a year or two ago have been entirely filled, and the situation is very much where it needs to be,” he also said.
Johnston is set to make his recommendation about a public inquiry this week, but his work will continue until October, with the goals of assessing the extent and impact of foreign interference in Canada’s elections, and reviewing the government’s response to foreign interference, among other objectives laid out in his mandate.
LeBlanc said while he doesn’t know what Johnston will recommend, the government is “committed to following (his) advice.”
With files from CTV’s Question Period senior producer Stephanie Ha
