Johnston disputes claims of bias despite enlisting help from experts with Liberal, NDP ties
In exclusive interview with CBC's Power & Politics, Johnston says bias claims based on 'false' allegations
David Johnston, Canada's special rapporteur on foreign interference, is pushing back against claims that his work is biased after confirming that he has enlisted the help of experts with links to the Liberals and NDP.
Since his appointment, Johnston has been accused of being unfit for the job because of his connections to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The leaders of the Conservative and Bloc Québécois parties have both said Trudeau and Johnston are self-declared friends and that their longstanding ties are too close to allow Johnston to judge the prime minister's actions.
Johnston has said that while he was friends with Pierre Trudeau and skied with the Trudeau family back when Justin Trudeau and his brothers were children, he hasn't had any meetings, dinners or personal contacts with Trudeau in the past 40 years.
WATCH | Johnston pushes back against accusations of bias:
But that hasn't stopped opposition parties from questioning Johnston's investigation into foreign interference. Even the NDP — which currently has a supply-and-confidence deal with the governing Liberals — put forward a motion in the House calling on Johnston to step aside because of an "appearance of bias."
In an exclusive interview with CBC News Network's Power & Politics, the former governor general says any perceptions of bias are based on "allegations that are false."
"The fact that it's repeated again and again — if it's wrong — doesn't make it true," Johnston said of his relationship with the current prime minister.
On Tuesday, The Globe and Mail reported that Sheila Block, a lawyer Johnston hired to assist with his mandate, has donated to the Liberal Party in the past.
WATCH | Johnston says he doesn't regret taking on foreign interference assignment:
Johnston also told the procedure and House affairs committee on Tuesday that he has received unpaid informal advice from Don Guy, former chief of staff to former Ontario Liberal premier Dalton McGuinty, and Brian Topp, chief of staff to Rachel Notley when she was the NDP premier of Alberta.
Johnston argued their involvement doesn't compromise his work.
Johnston said "many lawyers in practice" donate to political parties and that in Block's case, she was supporting some of her former students who became political candidates. He also said Block has donated to former Toronto mayor John Tory, who has past connections to the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party.
"She has the respect of every lawyer she works with," Johnston said of Block.
As for Topp and Guy, Johnston said they were two of many who reached out to his office offering communications help following the release of his initial report. He also noted that the communications firm Navigator — which Johnston hired after being appointed to his current role — has a number of employees with connections to the Conservative Party.
In addition to questioning Johnston's credibility, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet have refused to obtain security clearances to permit them to examine the top secret information that informed Johnston's first report.
Johnston told Power & Politics host David Cochrane that he doesn't "completely understand" the opposition leaders' decision.
Poilievre and Blanchet have said the offer of security clearances is an attempt to silence the opposition. But Johnston said they could speak publicly about their own conclusions regarding the intelligence as long as they didn't reveal classified information.
"I simply don't understand that," Johnston said. "I would like to think they would want to get to know … the classified information and come to their own conclusions and speak freely about it."
WATCH | Johnston reacts to opposition leaders refusing to view classified information:
Johnston also said that he did not reach out to MP Han Dong as part of his initial investigation into foreign interference.
A story by Global News, citing an unnamed national security source, alleged Dong advised an official at the Chinese consulate in Toronto against releasing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, two Canadians the Chinese government was holding at the time.
While Johnston's report disputed those claims, he said he did not speak to Dong before releasing the report.
"We had a high degree of intelligence, both open and more particularly the classified information, and that permitted us to come to the conclusion that the allegations made about him were not founded. In fact, he was in conversation with the consulate in Toronto of China but was not wittingly being a tool of theirs," Johnston said.
WATCH | Johnston says he never reached out to Han Dong:
Since Johnston's first report was released, Dong has been seeking to rejoin the Liberal caucus after leaving when the Global stories first broke. The MP launched a $15 million lawsuit against Global before Johnston's report was released.
Johnston's report criticized the way information is shared between Canada's intelligence bodies and how it's shared with decision makers in the federal government.
When asked if the current government is taking the issue of foreign affairs seriously enough, Johnston said he doesn't believe any government has in recent years.
"Particularly in the last 12 to 15 years, we have not been doing what we should be doing with foreign intelligence," he said. "We needed a wake-up call.
"We have to be much more effectively armed than we have. We found some very big challenges in our system."
The former governor general will be holding public hearings over the summer. He said Tuesday those hearings are expected to begin next month.
While he said much of his work will be forward-looking, Johnston added he'll still review some lingering questions about the cases he addressed in his first report.
"There are stories that simply don't add up and that requires further review," he said.
WATCH | Johnston says some stories on foreign interference 'don't add up':
Johnston was referring specifically to the case of former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole. Johnston's report found evidence that articles circulating on the Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat during the 2021 campaign questioned O'Toole's positions on China, but the articles couldn't be traced back to a state actor.
Following Johnston's report, O'Toole said he was briefed by CSIS who told him he indeed was a target of a Chinese government campaign of misinformation and "voter suppression" that covered the last federal election campaign.
Johnston said he would continue to review O'Toole's case and others as he begins to hold public hearings.
WATCH | MPs react to David Johnston's appearance before Commons committee on foreign interference:
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With files from David Cochrane