Space entrepreneur, car manufacturer, and social media personality Elon Musk culminated a trip to communist China on Thursday after meeting a parade of China’s most powerful Communist Party officials, including Politburo members, and enjoying a 16-course feast in Beijing that was the toast of the state-controlled Weibo social media site.
I was surprised, saddened and puzzled when former governor general David Johnston, who was clearly in a perceived conflict of interest, accepted the prime minister’s request to become a “special rapporteur.” Surprised he would make such an obvious mistake, saddened he would risk tarnishing his reputation as a dedicated and effective governor general and puzzled about his motivation. Those reactions intensified when his preliminary report rejected a public inquiry called for by a majority vote in Parliament and over 70 per cent of Canadians. I was also disappointed that it defended the government on virtually every issue while criticizing the media, the security services and the Conservative party. It also made clear his conviction he has no conflict of interest, notwithstanding much evidence and a widespread perception to the contrary.
Right through the 2021 federal election campaign, senior Trudeau government officials knew that the Chinese government and its operatives in Canada were running a sophisticated disinformation and voter suppression campaign targeting the Conservative Party and its candidates, former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole told me on Tuesday.
That much was clear from the briefing the Canadian Security Intelligence Service made available to him last Friday, O’Toole told me. But what remains unclear is why none of these officials said anything — and that’s just one key question that remains unresolved following last week’s report on Beijing’s election-interference operations by “independent special rapporteur” David Johnston.
This revelation should result in arrests except we’re ruled by corrupt men.
The Hill Station Club in Freetown was once the beating heart of Britain’s colonial community in Sierra Leone. It was here, in a raised clearing high above the city, that officials would unwind over gin and tonic and marvel at a panoramic view of the lush forest below.
These days, the club stands in disrepair. Its ornate metal railings are rusted and decayed, while the underside of the roof is littered with holes. The building has become just another relic of the British Empire; a symbol of power and influence lost.
Today in Sierra Leone – and much of the rest of Africa – there is a new player in town: the People’s Republic of China.
A government holds power in a democracy only on loan from the public. The onus is therefore always on the government to show that it is worthy of the public’s trust. It is the price of power.
A government is not entitled to the presumption of innocence. If a breach should open in the public’s trust in government, the onus is on the government to repair it. It is not on the public to trust it.
Last Thursday the NDP gave notice of an opposition motion that will be debated today and voted upon later this week.
That motion calls on David Johnston to step aside from his role as Special Rapporteur, and would require the government to urgently establish a public commission of inquiry. Crucially, it also states that the inquiry would be led by an individual selected with unanimous support from all recognized parties in the House,
It is rare for an opposition motion to have this much importance.
I get that Mulcair may feel compelled to talk up Jaggy’s “heroics” but let’s face it the motion has no teeth and Trudeau and his Special Crony will ignore it.
OTTAWA — Two former executives in Canada’s intelligence services told MPs that despite Special Rapporteur David Johnston’s concerns, a public inquiry can be held into foreign interference while still keeping classified information secret.
Dan Stanton, a former CSIS officer and manager, said holding a public inquiry is entirely possible, citing examples such as the inquiries into the Maher Arar affair and the Air India bombing, which took place despite the sensitive information involved.
OTTAWA—Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre dared NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh Tuesday to bring down the government over a lack of a public inquiry into foreign interference, an issue that Poilievre’s predecessor brought into sharper focus by disclosing new details about how he and the party were targeted by Beijing.
Former Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole’s decision to reveal elements of what he was told by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) last week came as MPs were debating an NDP motion calling on the special rapporteur for foreign interference, David Johnston, to step down from the job and for the government to do what he didn’t — call a public inquiry.
Deal's a deal, @TheJagmeetSingh tells reporters, vows never to renege on pact to keep @JustinTrudeau in office 'til 2025 regardless: "There is not a threat here." https://t.co/k0GJDWj7it #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/hq4LMZNK9F
— Blacklock's Reporter (@mindingottawa) May 31, 2023
h/t Mauser
For those who have been involved in politics, there is a handy “rulebook” – “how to defuse a political crisis 101.”
Too bad the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has not read it.
That is the only conclusion one can come to after watching the release of the report from former Governor General David Johnston on Chinese interference in Canada’s democracy.
Former Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole says the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) found an “active campaign of voter suppression” by China against him and his party in the 2021 election.
O’Toole made the comments Tuesday from the floor of the House of Commons, within which MPs are protected by parliamentary privilege from civil or criminal prosecution under freedom of speech provisions. His speech comes after a briefing with CSIS last week.
The decision as to whether to hold a public inquiry on any topic, including the very important issue of foreign interference in Canada’s democracy, belongs to the prime minister. It cannot be transferred to an unelected, unaccountable appointee, regardless of that person’s credentials or experience. The ongoing noise about The Right Honourable David Johnston’s appointment to this position is an unfortunate distraction of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s making.
Special Rapporteur David Johnston has refused to take questions from MPs on the House of Commons public accounts committee regarding his previous work at the Trudeau Foundation, leading members of the committee to threaten to issue him a summons.
“We have a meeting scheduled for a week today with individuals who have been involved with the Trudeau Foundation,” said Conservative MP and Committee Chair John Williamson at a meeting of the committee on May 29, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. “I regret to inform you all, I have three who have declined, including the Right Honourable David Johnston.”
Malaysia has detained a Chinese-registered vessel suspected of looting two British World War Two shipwrecks.
The bulk carrier was seized on Sunday for anchoring illegally at the site in the South China Sea.
Ammunition believed to be from the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse, which were sunk by Japanese forces more than 80 years ago, was then found on board.
The UK Ministry of Defence had earlier condemned the alleged raid as a “desecration” of maritime war graves.
The NDP is introducing an opposition day motion calling on David Johnston to step down as the government’s special rapporteur on foreign interference — only days after one of its MPs was told by CSIS she has been targeted by the Chinese government.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said that while he has been careful not to attack the former governor general or his reputation, Johnston’s background has led to doubts about his work as the special rapporteur.
… The motion — which would be nonbinding if passed — is being introduced after NDP MP Jenny Kwan said she was briefed Friday by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).
Gotta protect that China class.
Deputy mayor suing CSIS over alleged ‘typecasting’ of Chinese immigrants
A former Ontario cabinet minister who has been the focus of intelligence leaks related to Chinese interference in Canada is suing CSIS, saying the spy agency publicly humiliated him because of a “stereotypical typecasting of immigrants born in China as being somehow untrustworthy.”
