The result of the investigation into Chinese interference in Canadian politics is published

David Johnston, who was ordered to investigate alleged Chinese interference in the Canadian election, had a speach yesterday. This independent expert was formerly the Governor General of Canada, the second person in the country after the late Queen Elizabeth. He now teaches law at leading Canadian universities.

Recall that in the past 3 months a scandal broke out in Canada involving leaks allegedly from Canadian intelligence. They were published in The Globe and Mail. It was reported that China interfered in the 2015 Canadian election and helped the Democrats win. Trudeau was accused of accepting a bribe through a charity named after his father.

Of course, this scandal was fomented by representatives of the Canadian Conservative Party. They also pushed for a public inquiry into what had happened, but the ruling party refused. To begin with, the Canadian authorities instructed Johnston to investigate the incident and report back to Parliament. They pledged to implement his recommendations.

To the chagrin of conservatives, Johnston found no confirmation of rumors of Chinese interference. Yes, intelligence did report to the government on attempts by other countries to influence local politics. However, this information was taken into account, and action was taken in a timely manner. The information leaked to the media was simply false. Journalists drew the wrong conclusions from the data they received in order to create a sensation.

David Johnston strongly advises against conducting a public investigation into what happened. It could threaten national security and lead to the leakage of really important information. China's interference in the election turned out to be far-fetched, but during the investigation other information that is a state secret may come to light.

Johnston also believes that it is a crime to disseminate such information. The journalists have not been proven guilty, but their informant must be brought to justice. By his actions, he has endangered Canada and divided society.

The government itself has also suffered — Johnston is outraged at the way the reception of data from the intelligence service is organized. Both the government and the intelligence services have been negligent in their duties, which is why false information has leaked to the press. This needs to be corrected, and it is primarily the fault of the ruling Liberal party, which does not pay enough attention to state secrecy.

In general, David Johnston recommends that Parliament and the intelligence community deal with such things themselves, without involving the general public and independent experts. Anything related to state secrets should remain state secrets.

Conservatives are skeptical and disappointed with the expert's report, but his credibility and impartiality are hard to question — too many Canadians respect him.

The main question on the minds of Chinese diplomats in Canada is whether someone will apologize to their country. Many Chinese officials have been harassed in Canada, and Chinese Canadians have faced discrimination. Now that the rumors of interference have been found to be false, China expects to be compensated at least in the form of a public apology.