What else we learned from David Johnston’s interference report

How is Russian foreign interference different from Chinese foreign interference? That was among the questions David Johnston addressed in his report Tuesday.

Former governor general David Johnston’s recommendation against a public inquiry into foreign interference was the highlight of his initial report Tuesday — but it was far from the only conclusion worth noting.

The special rapporteur’s report and his comments to reporters after its release contained new insight into the foreign threats Canada faces and what must be done to combat them. Johnston also responded to critics who have questioned his impartiality.

Below are some of the other highlights from Johnston’s work.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and other opposition MPs have argued since Johnston’s naming in March the former governor general could not be truly impartial because of a so-called friendship with the prime minister and connections to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation.

Johnston, to note, had been appointed as governor general by former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper.

Johnston told reporters on Tuesday that his family and Trudeau’s enjoyed “only on a few ski expeditions” when Trudeau was a child, and noted the families had cottages near each other in Quebec. He would later see Trudeau “from time to time” when the future prime minister was a student at McGill University while Johnston served as the school’s principal.

But Johnston said he had no relationship with Trudeau beyond that.

“In that period of time until he became a Liberal member of Parliament and I was governor general, I had no meetings with Justin Trudeau, I had no letters that I can recall, no telephone calls,” he said, adding the next time they encountered each other was at Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s funeral.