Johnston says no to public inquiry on foreign interference

David Johnston has recommended against calling a public inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian politics.

His decision comes after all opposition parties have called for an inquiry and after the government itself said it would support one — if Johnston recommended it.

"When I began this process, I thought I would come to the same conclusion — that I would recommend a public inquiry," Johnston said in a news conference Tuesday.

"While it would have been an easy choice, it would not be the correct one."

Johnston, appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as a special rapporteur on foreign interference in March in response to the furor over Chinese government interference, has spent the last two months reviewing documents and interviewing policymakers.

While he isn't recommending a public inquiry, Johnston said in his report he did find "serious shortcomings in the way intelligence is communicated and processed from security agencies through to government."

Johnston said he'll continue his work as special rapporteur through to October by holding hearings to find ways to fix those shortcomings. He said he will produce a second report later this year. 

"The public process should focus on strengthening Canada's capacity to detect, deter and counter foreign interference in our elections and the threat such interference represents to our democracy," Johnston said in his report tabled Tuesday.

Johnston said he found no ethical fault with the way the federal government handled foreign interference.

"I have found that the narrative that the government failed to act is not a fair conclusion based on the facts," Johnston said. "However, the machinery of government needs significant improvement to address the evolving threat of foreign interference."

Johnston has asked the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) — an independent government agency — and the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP), a joint parliamentary committee, to review his conclusions.

Citing unnamed national security sources, the Globe and Mail and Global News have reported on a range of influence and interference operations coming from Beijing, particularly during the 2019 and 2021 elections.

They include attempts to intimidate and influence members of Parliament, funding political candidates and operating so-called "police stations" across Canada to intimidate dissidents.

Johnston said that, while the threat of foreign interference is real and Ottawa should address it, he found much of the media reporting on the issue was "misconstrued" and devoid of context after he reviewed the relevant intelligence.