Canada's House of Commons has voted for Justin Trudeau's special rapporteur investigating foreign interference in Canadian elections to resign and for a public inquiry to be held. The rapporteur has refused, saying that his "mandate comes from the government" not Parliament.
David Johnston plans to stay on as special rapporteur after Commons votes for him to step aside | CBC News - Stephanie Taylor & Mia Rabson, Canadian Press:
May 31, 2023 - "After members of Parliament voted in favour of his ouster Wednesday, David Johnston said his mandate to probe allegations of foreign interference comes from the government — not from the House of Commons. The former governor general released a statement following the vote on a motion brought forward by the NDP, which the Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois supported while the Liberals stood opposed. It passed 174 to 150.
"It called on Johnston — tasked by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau back in March with looking into allegations that China tried to meddle in the past two federal elections — to 'step aside from his role.' It asked the government to instead launch a public inquiry into the issue of foreign interference. Johnston, the former governor general, recommended against such an inquiry in his initial report last week.
"'When I accepted the mandate to act as independent special rapporteur, I did so with full knowledge of the fact that the work ahead would be neither straightforward nor uncontroversial,' Johnston said in his statement. 'I deeply respect the right of the House of Commons to express its opinion about my work going forward, but my mandate comes [from] the government'....
"Trudeau said earlier in the day he still had confidence in Johnston, despite the stance of opposition MPs. Opposition parties initially decried his appointment because of Johnston's family connections to the prime minister's family and the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. Trudeau brushed off those concerns, telling reporters that he views the matter as political parties wanting to score 'partisan points'....'David Johnston has served this country in extraordinary capacities for decades,' Trudeau said Wednesday on his way into a meeting with his Liberal caucus....
"Johnston said in his report that due to the sensitive nature of national security and the intelligence he studied, there would be no way to divulge the information Canadians are seeking publicly. He said that would defeat the purpose of a public inquiry.... He said what he plans to do instead is hold a series of public hearings to further probe the issue. Those hearings would focus on hearing from officials of both past and current governments, as well as members of diaspora communities affected by foreign interference attempts....
"The motion was brought forward by NDP [MP] Jenny Kwan. She recently told reporters that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service informed her she has been a target of China since before the 2019 federal vote, because of her advocacy on human rights in China....
""Speaking to reporters last week, Johnston also defended his work, saying this has been the first time his impartiality has been questioned, which he finds 'troubling.' He has said his 'friendship' with the prime minister is rooted only in the five or so times their families went skiing together decades ago."
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/house-passes-motion-david-johnston-step-down-1.6861009
House passes NDP motion calling for special rapporteur's resignation | CPAC | June 1, 2023:
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