David Johnston

Independent MP Han Dong could rejoin the Liberal caucus if he wants to, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday, May 24, 2023.

The former governor general said an inquiry cannot be undertaken in public because of the sensitivity of the intelligence involved, and there would be considerable overlap with the work that he has already been doing to investigate the issue of alleged foreign meddling in the last two federal elections.

The man charged with recommending how best to deal with foreign interference in Canada's federal elections will finally say whether he believes a public inquiry is necessary.

Poilievre argues Johnston is unable to do that work independently because he used to be a member of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, which is under scrutiny for accepting a donation reportedly linked to the Chinese government. 

Canada's spy agency has now been formally directed to investigate and disclose any foreign threats against parliamentarians or their families, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said on Tuesday, while the Conservative MP targeted by Beijing urged his colleagues to go further.

The House of Commons has unanimously asked a parliamentary committee to look into allegations that the Chinese government waged an intimidation campaign against Conservative member of Parliament Michael Chong.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says any decision to expel Chinese diplomats over alleged attempts to threaten a Conservative MP is being made "very, very carefully."

Canada's intelligence agencies must immediately inform MPs of any threats against them, regardless of whether those threats are considered credible, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says.

Directors from past Liberal and Conservative campaigns told a House of Commons committee on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, that concerns raised by national security officials would not necessarily be reason enough for them to drop a candidate from their rosters.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government plans to launch a National Counter-Foreign Interference Office, amid ongoing scrutiny of allegations that Beijing interfered in recent federal elections.

Liberal House leader Mark Holland isn't ruling out turning a Conservative motion on foreign interference into a confidence vote that could topple the government and would test the strength of the supply-and-confidence deal between the Liberals and the NDP.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has accused Trudeau and Johnston of being too close, noting the prime minister has previously called them family friends.

Federal opposition parties continued to call for a public inquiry into foreign interference on Thursday, March 16, 2023, as the NDP welcomed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's choice of a special rapporteur.

Former governor general David Johnston has been asked to get to the bottom of China's interference in our elections. But the calculus behind his involvement, and the reaction to it, says more about our politics than we might want to hear, writes columnist Max Fawcett.

David Johnston has been asked to look into allegations of foreign meddling in Canada's last two federal elections and recommend what the Liberal government should do about it.