David Johnston will recommend Tuesday whether Canada needs interference inquiry
Global News
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he will abide by David Johnston's recommendations, including if he recommends a public inquiry.
Special rapporteur David Johnston is expected to release his decision Tuesday on whether the federal Liberals should call a public inquiry on foreign interference.
With allegations that China meddled in the last two federal elections dominating the political conversation for months, experts say an inquiry would allow for a detailed, transparent conversation about what kind of threat Canada is actually facing.
It would also allow the Liberal government to demonstrate that it is doing more to address the issue, they say.
Johnston’s recommendation on the inquiry is set to come as part of an initial report about how the government should proceed with the allegations of interference. The former governor general is scheduled to give a news conference at noon on Tuesday upon releasing the report publicly.
In what many saw at the time as too little, too late, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tapped Johnston in March to lead an investigation into the extent and impact of foreign interference in Canada.
The federal government said it gave Johnston access to classified documents and Canada’s security agencies to conduct that work.
Though opposition parties had by then been clamouring for a formal public inquiry for weeks, Trudeau said Johnston would have until late May to decide whether it was warranted. He would have until the end of October to produce a final report.
The pressure has not abated since then.