Breaking: David Johnston quits as Ottawa’s point-person on foreign interference after weeks of controversy
OTTAWA—David Johnston is stepping down as the special rapporteur on foreign interference after weeks of controversy over his appointment and the conclusions of his interim report.
Johnston was appoint by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in March to probe the extent of foreign interference in Canada’s democracy and what actions the government had taken in response to specific instances of it that surfaced in media reports. But Johnston’s decision not to call a public inquiry met with significant blowback and exacerbated concerns raised by the opposition that he was personally too close to the Trudeau family to make an objective assessment of the Trudeau government’s handling of the allegations of foreign interference.
“When I undertook the task of Independent Special Rapporteur on Foreign Interference, my objective was to help build trust in our democratic institutions,” Johnston said in a statement late Friday afternoon. “I have concluded that, given the highly partisan atmosphere around my appointment and work, my leadership has had the opposite effect. I am therefore tendering my resignation, effective no later than the end June 2023, or as soon as I deliver a brief final report, which I hope to be earlier.”
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