Canadian democracy is being tested

David Johnston, ex governor general, was appointed special rapporteur on foreign interference in the Canadian election for prime minister in 2021. The decision, however, drew resentment from the opposition.

Johnston has been criticized by the Conservative Party because of his close ties to Justin Trudeau's family and his father Pierre Elliott Trudeau, who has also been at the center of accusations related to foreign interference in recent months.

But the governor general was not given a hard time: Dominique Leblanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, says the Conservatives' personal attacks on the former governor general are inappropriate. Governor general is to make a formal report on whether to conduct a public inquiry into foreign interference.

"David Johnston is a senior statesman in public affairs and public service and the law," Dominic LeBlanc said the day before.

But the Conservatives stand their ground. They have a long and consistent record of criticism of the Trudeau government, but the case of meddling in Canadian domestic elections and the violation of democratic procedures is a special one.

Their leader, Pierre Poilevre, has repeatedly questioned Johnston's neutrality and criticized the role of the special rapporteur in general.

“He is Justin Trudeau’s ski buddy, his cottage neighbor, his family friend, and a member of the Trudeau Foundation, which got $140,000 from Beijing,” Poilievre told reporters on Thursday. “He has a fake job and he's unable to do it impartially.”

The resistance did not abate.

"“It's convenient for Mr. Poilievre to destroy institutions, to damage reputations. He does that regularly. He can be accountable for that,” LeBlanc said. “We think that the vast majority of Canadians understand Mr. Johnston's integrity, his service to the country.”

Earlier this month, a Chinese diplomat was expelled from Canada for allegedly trying to threaten Conservative MP Michael Chong and his family in 2021.