Don Martin: David Johnston's reputation is but a smouldering ruin
As the hour dragged on, his French language comprehension failed him, his answers drifted into long-winded rambles and he was forced onto the defensive as his once-impeccable character came under attack.
At some point during that media release of his “special rapporteur” report on the merits of holding a public inquiry into foreign interference in recent elections, former governor general David Johnston must’ve realized he’d been had by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Having taken the job believing there was a clear pathway for him to simply rummage around top-secret files and call for a public inquiry, Johnston says the facts forced him to take a loose-gravel, cliff-hugging, road-less-travelled detour.
He viewed the full intelligence file on leaked examples of Chinese interference – and found it conflicted with Global TV stories based on snippets of secret material.
The spy agencies told him almost everything he viewed would never be allowed out of the room – and Johnston realized it didn’t make sense to stage a public inquiry based on shielded evidence.
And after a parade of cabinet ministers and the prime minister described how they couldn’t access spy agency alerts or be given foreign intelligence that hadn’t been validated, he couldn’t find any proof they were lying to save their political skins - if indeed he looked for it.
So the former vice-regal was confronted with a no-win choice.
The raging headlines and angry public mood meant he could only reject an inquiry if he did something to appease the mobs clamouring for a probe or else he would stand accused of authoring a cover-up.
So Johnston opted to call for the sham of a public hearings he will personally supervise this fall.
He did this knowing it was a pathetically insufficient response for a foreign democratic assault of this magnitude. He did it knowing it would be seen as protecting the prime minister and his ministers from well-deserved scrutiny. And he did it knowing he was the worst person to collect the input and write up the bottom-line conclusions.
But, but, but, he stammered as the question of his impartiality came up, his "friendship" with Trudeau was merely their kids doing some skiing together and the odd sharing of mountain resort condo parking space. And his Trudeau Foundation involvement was just that of a former university president interested in its scholarships.
Sorry, but the perception prevails of them as neighbourly chums in the Laurentian Elite backed by evidence suggesting due diligence was deliberately lacking as he put together his report.
For example, Johnston didn’t reach out to former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole until last week. This was the former leader most vocal about Chinese electoral interference, yet Johnston’s report was already on its way to the printers for translation, by the time an O’Toole interview was booked.
Johnston also took great pains to probe and question the accuracy of news reports yet failed to examine the Trudeau Foundation’s role in the controversy after it received substantial money from Chinese benefactors looking to buy friends in high places.
And his conclusion that senior Liberals didn’t know about Chinese efforts to help elect a Liberal minority mandate was based on merely asking the prime minister if that was the case. Not surprisingly, Trudeau said it wasn’t.
To bottom line this Liberal-friendly 59-page verdict, Johnston found communications gaps in government instead of credibility gaps.
He declared the government’s handling of foreign interference allegations and threats to be incomplete not incompetent.
And on the key issue of how this government’s internal reactions to interference reports, Johnston has already delivered his findings. The “hearings will not focus on ‘who knew what and what did they do about it’. I have examined these issues, drawn conclusions, and provided as much information as possible to the public,” he declared.
And so, the stage is set for publicity seekers volunteering to appear before Johnston in circus-like hearings to rant their views for the cameras, be they somebodies or nobodies.
There will be no public inquiry so that invited and involved parties can take the stand with lawyers probing their testimony for insights, lies or loopholes.
The complete truth on Chinese meddling and manipulating in our elections and how the government confronted/ignored the problem will remain forever secret and elusive.
Johnston undoubtedly knows now he never should’ve accepted Trudeau’s invitation to come out of a cushy double-pensioned retirement for this cringe-worthy act of character self-assassination.
His reputation is but a smouldering ruin and the final chapter of his report will be ripe for immediate shredding upon publication in many minds outside the inner Liberal circle.
If he still possesses the wisdom and intellect we saw when he was governor general, Johnston should step aside from this thankless task immediately and return to spoiling his grandkids at the mountainside condo.
While its far from conventional thinking out there amid the fury directed at his conclusions, I feel something else for the once-distinguished, now-maligned David Johnston: Pity.
That’s the bottom line…
Can't see the embedded Special Rapporteur report above? Click here
IN DEPTH
Special rapporteur Johnston rejects call to 'step aside' after majority of MPs vote for him to resign
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's efforts to assure Canadians that his government is adequately addressing the threat of foreign interference took a hit on Wednesday, when the majority of MPs in the House of Commons voted for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside,' a call Johnston quickly rejected.
NDP MP wants 'democratic controls' on the prime minister's powers
A New Democrat MP is trying to convince his colleagues to change the rules that govern the House of Commons in a series of ways he says would instill 'democratic controls' on the prime minister's 'unfettered' powers.
As it happened: Deal reached between feds, union for 120,000 striking public servants
Monday morning, the Public Service Alliance of Canada announced it had reached a 'tentative' agreement with the federal government for the 120,000 picketing Treasury Board workers who, since April 19, had been engaged in one of the largest strikes in Canadian history. Here's a rundown of the developments from Parliament Hill as they happened.
MPs need to plug legislative 'holes' to address foreign interference before next election: party reps
The House committee studying foreign election interference heard from top 2019 and 2021 Liberal and Conservative campaign directors on Tuesday, with party officials from both camps speaking about the need for politicians to come together to address any "legislative gaps" ahead of the next vote.
Budget 2023 prioritizes pocketbook help and clean economy, deficit projected at $40.1B
In the 2023 federal budget, the government is unveiling continued deficit spending targeted at Canadians' pocketbooks, public health care and the clean economy.
Opinion
opinion | Don Martin: The lessons for Pierre Poilievre from the Alberta election
Danielle Smith's win in the Alberta election hands her the most starkly divided province confronting any premier in Canada, writes commentator Don Martin.
Opinion | Don Martin: David Johnston's reputation is but a smouldering ruin
Special rapporteur David Johnston didn't recommend public inquiry knowing it was a pathetically insufficient response for a foreign democratic assault of this magnitude, writes Don Martin in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
opinion | Don Martin: Passport furor foreshadows a dirty-tricks campaign where perceptions will be reality
To frame a few new illustrations on pages tucked inside a passport as proof of a Liberal plot to purge the Canadian historical record seems like a severe stretch, writes Don Martin in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
opinion | Don Martin: The stunning fall of the once-promising Marco Mendicino
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino is a bright former federal prosecutor, who was destined to be a star in Justin Trudeau's cabinet. But in an opinion column on CTVNews.ca, Don Martin argues Mendicino has taken a stunning fall from grace, stumbling badly on important issues just 18 months into the job.
opinion | Don Martin: In the battle for Alberta, it's Smith versus her mouth
It's the most peculiar of elections with the frontrunner and her main opponent being the same person, writes columnist Don Martin. 'In the looming Alberta showdown, it's Premier Danielle Smith versus her mouth.'
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING | Trump charged over classified documents in 1st federal indictment of an ex-president
Donald Trump said Thursday that he has been indicted on charges of mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate, igniting a federal prosecution that is arguably the most perilous of multiple legal threats against the former U.S. president as he seeks to reclaim the White House.
Freeland's budget bill passes House after Poilievre pledges to block it
The federal budget implementation bill passed the House of Commons on Thursday, after days of Conservative attempts to block it.
Supreme Court of Canada won't hear unvaccinated woman's case for organ donation
The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear the appeal of an Alberta woman who was unwilling to be vaccinated in order to get a life-saving organ transplant.
Special rapporteur David Johnston cuts ties with crisis management firm Navigator
Canada's special rapporteur on foreign interference has ended ties with crisis communications firm Navigator, his office confirmed on Thursday.
How the lack of gravity in space impacts astronauts’ brain
What happens to the brain when you take gravity away? According to a new study looking at astronauts both before and after space travel, that experience causes physical changes that researchers believe requires at least three years between longer missions to recover from.
Are more interest rate hikes on the way? Here's what experts say
In the wake of the Bank of Canada’s unexpected rate hike, economists are pointing to further tightening in the near term.
'Tremendous amount we could be doing': Expert shares tips for preventing, adapting to wildfires
As wildfires rage across Canada in what’s being called an unprecedented season, one expert says there’s more that individuals and communities can do to adapt and prevent forest fires from causing widespread devastation.
10-year-old girl survives more than 24 hours alone in the rugged Cascade mountains after getting lost while out with her family
Rescuers in Washington state are praising the resourcefulness of a 10-year-old girl who survived on her own for more than 24 hours in the rugged terrain of the Cascade mountains after getting lost while out with her family.
Wildfire battles continue as heat, air quality alerts affect most of Canada
Air pollution from wildfires remained well above healthy levels across much of southern and northern Ontario and several communities in British Columbia and Alberta on Thursday.