The chop suey has hit the fan. Now what?

We owe David Johnston our thanks and an apology.

By accepting the job of “special rapporteur” to study foreign meddling in our elections, this elder statesman has unburdened Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of a political hot potato and is about to open a real can of worms.

At the age of 81, with a string of accomplishments and commendations, David Johnston does not have to prove anything to anyone. Most especially, after 5o years in public service, he shouldn’t have to defend his reputation or his integrity.

By his own stonewalling and obfuscation, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has created a firestorm of public concern and debate over the integrity of our democratic process and he has done David Johnston no favour by turning to him for help.

Trudeau defines Johnston’s newly minted role as “special rapporteur” but it’s all about cleaning up the mess in aisle four or wherever we stock trust in our democratic institutions these days.

Canadians just woke up to learn the enemy is not just at the gate but in our schools, governments, political parties, libraries, media, work places, labs…..maybe even our homes.

At question is the extent to which China’s Communist government has infiltrated and influenced so much of our way of life, the dangers therein to national security and what if anything our government is doing about it. Specifically, how much does the prime minister know about Chinese interference and how long has he known? He won’t say.

In recent weeks as media stories broke and security and intelligence sources emerged with increasing frequency, authenticity and drama, the Trudeau government went into denial---apparently believing that the public was little interested in Chinese espionage while food prices soar along with inflation and interest rates and our health care system falls apart.

Alas, research shows the public is concerned about the integrity of our elections. A majority favours a public inquiry while Trudeau is clearly opposed and went so far as Liberals filibustering a parliamentary committee wanting to call his chief of staff in search of answers her boss won’t provide.

Johnston’s mandate focuses on interference in the last two federal elections and will recommend whether a public inquiry of some form should be held. Truth to tell, Joe the bartender or Wiarton Willie or any of the majority of Canadians who are now concerned about this issue could have done that. 

The answer is a resounding Yes !

Trudeau has vowed to accept Johnston’s advice and to fulfil his recommendations…sight unseen.

To me, his willingness to make that commitment shows both how much faith he places in his chosen rapporteur and how desperate he is to get this issue out of the headlines.

Foreign influence and meddling by China and other nations has been known for a long time but has remained under the radar until recently when the chop suey hit the fan and the public got a whiff of the seriousness and prevalence of the situation.

Critics of the rapporteur proposal come down hard on two issues: concerns over Johnston’s personal, long-term relationship with the prime minister’s family and the narrow focus of the mandate. All opposition parties argue that any review must cut through secrecy, cast a much wider net on foreign meddling and influence and recommend how public confidence can be restored.   

Hopefully, Johnston can emerge from this latest assignment with his stellar reputation for public service intact and consensus that he did more than kick the can down the road to buy time for the Trudeau government to get its act together. 

It won’t be easy. The ink was hardly dry on his appointment and his mandate still unclear when some critics questioned his impartiality. Leading the charge are Conservatives who conveniently fail to mention that it was their government that appointed Johnston as Governor General and other major roles when they were in office.

Johnston’s sins? Hold onto your hats. Providing a delicious gotcha moment for the Tories, Justin Trudeau talked about his appointee as a “friend and neighbour.”

Well, yes, the Trudeaus and Johnstons lived next door to each other when David was GG and Justin was PM and their official residences of Rideau Hall and Rideau Cottage respectively are cheek to jowl. Sophie Gregoire Trudeau may have even borrowed a cup of sugar from Sharon Johnston on occasion. 

Then there is the more complicated matter of the Trudeau Foundation, the taxpayer-endowed body which funds scholars in a variety of science fields and is named in recognition of Justin’s father, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. There are a lot of foundations in Canada---all clamoring for money, influence and prestige.

Grandees from the worlds of politics, business, academia, media and others have been involved with the Trudeau foundation over the years, including Johnston who has served on its board. Notably, its funding comes from many sources, has increased since Justin was elected PM, and there are reports that in the wake of controversy the foundation has returned donations traced back to China. 

That’s all enough to throw Tories into a tailspin and to label Johnston a Trudeau lackey. Only in Canada you say. Pity.

Some critics argue that any inquiry should include all foreign interference and not just that of the Chinese government. Furthermore, it should not be relegated to politics but extend to university research, exploitation of resources, military secrets and the use of threats to our citizens of Chinese origin who speak out against Beijing or fail to support and promote its political goals and a more positive image of China. 

There is no shortage of proof such influence exists and is increasingly prevalent in elections when candidates friendly to Beijing are groomed and supported financially and with campaign workers. 

Liberals are considered more friendly to China than Conservatives and the Liberal Party and candidates benefit accordingly. As is his wont, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has been especially outspoken and is accused of character assassination in his criticism of Trudeau’s choice of Johnston, a lifelong servant to both Conservative and Liberal prime ministers.

There is no question that the issue is providing some Grade A red meat for the rightwing Conservative base that thrives on anger and division and a get-tough approach to most issues. Those who will suffer the most are vulnerable communities like immigrants and especially those of Chinese origin.

In effect, Johnston will be investigating and sitting in judgment of the Prime Minister and determining the government’s way forward ---a situation that irks critics who say we wouldn’t be in this mess if the PM had just been more transparent and called the inquiry in response to public demand and got on with the job.

Meanwhile, David Johnston will do his best for the country--- as he always has.

In the ongoing public debate, he and other responsible people will stress that our quarrel is not with the Chinese people but with the parasitic and vengeful Communist government of China that has no respect for human rights at home or abroad.

Canadians will be reminded that this kind of public debate plays into the hands of those who would spread anger and fear and foment racism, which is already too common in our society and is on the increase according to many authorities.

It’s challenging times like this when our Prime Minister has a knack for staring right into the camera, recognizes a problem and declares in his most solemn and dramatic fashion: “This is not who we are.”

And it’s times like this when I fear that maybe this is what we might become.

Photo By Mohammad Jangda from Toronto, ON, Canada - David Johnston introducing Justin Trudeau Uploaded by Skeezix1000, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11652001