OTTAWA - A rift continues to grow between federal opposition parties and former governor general David Johnston, who insists he will not let the politicization of foreign interference and what he described as false claims deter him from his work.
He says reforms are urgently needed to address “serious shortcomings” in how the Liberal government deals with the flow of intelligence regarding bad foreign actors.
Johnston, whom Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed to investigate alleged meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, appeared before a parliamentary committee Tuesday for a marathon three hours of testimony.
He urged all parliamentarians to focus on facts to help improve democracy for Canadians.
“We hope to devote ourselves to have as much light as possible on the key issue: how is our system working? From our report: not at all well,” Johnston said, citing his first report on foreign interference released last month.
The second part of his mandate will include public hearings to be held over the next five months, during which government representatives, national security officials and members of the diaspora community are expected to testify.
Those who don't want to appear publicly for fear of speaking out will have the chance to provide their testimony behind closed doors,...
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