Once more, David Johnston steps into the breach

In its first throne speech in 1994, Jean Chrétien's Liberal government promised to implement a national strategy for the "information highway." A few months later, an advisory council was appointed by the minister of industry to guide that work. David Johnston, who recently had stepped down as principal of McGill, was appointed to chair it.

Viewed from 2023, the council's first report, published in 1995, is both prescient and quaint.

"Once the preserve of research scientists, the Internet is now used by tens of millions of individuals in their businesses and everyday life," the council enthused. "The user can retrieve scientific information, explore 'chat groups,' find movie clips, listen to songs, view pictures from a museum, read a book, sell a report, choose a ski vacation or preview the newest cars. The practical — and commercial — uses of the Internet are enormous and increasing daily."

That report is also a reminder of how long governments have been asking David Johnston for help — and how long he has been saying yes.

His latest task might be his most challenging yet.

"David is one of these people that has the public service gene," John Manley, the industry minister in 1994, said in an interview this week. "And if the prime minister of his country asks him to do something that is consequential, he would believe it is his duty to do it."

Manley and Johnston became friends after Johnston's work on the advisory council. Manley now serves on the advisory board that was assisting Johnston in his role as federal debates commissioner (Johnston resigned from that position when he agreed to be Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's special rapporteur).

Manley said he has no doubts about Johnston's ability to do the job. "David is one of these people with a very firm north star," he said. "He's motivated by how he can be of public service."

But Manley feared from the outset that Johnston would be caught in the political maelstrom — fears that he raised with Johnston directly.

"I don't think it's fair that he gets attacked," he said. "I mean, I understand the game. An opposition leader is trying to get at the prime minister. [But] I don't want to see one of the finest of our population become collateral damage to that."

Manley said he knows a bit about that himself, having earned the ire of some Liberals after he accepted Stephen Harper's request in 2007 to chair an expert panel on the future of Canada's mission in Afghanistan.

The breach into which Johnston has stepped is perilous in its own way.

Sensational media reports alleging malfeasance in the very foundation of Canadian democracy have run up against the Trudeau government's reluctance — or inability — to openly discuss matters that normally would be kept secret.

In lieu of official clarity, opposition politicians and pundits have rushed into the vacuum with the most salacious possible explanations. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has gone so far as to allege that Trudeau is advancing China's interests and knowingly allowed foreign interference to occur.