Trust is defined as the firm belief in the reliability, truth or ability of someone or something. It is a commodity that is in short supply in Canadian politics these days.
The appointment of David Johnston by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the government’s special rapporteur to investigate foreign interference in the electoral process is the latest sign that we are living in a post-trust world.
The Conservative response validated former senator Hugh Segal’s description of their “coyote approach” to politics, by rounding on the former governor general in packs, snarling and nipping, in a co-ordinated attempt to discredit him.
Former Tory leader, Andrew Scheer, and current deputy leader, Melissa Lantsman, called him a “Trudeau Foundation insider.” Clips of him talking about “skiing parties” with the Trudeau family at Mont Tremblant circulated to reinforce his unsuitability for the role. This perceived conflict of interest will undermine any findings, it was suggested.
It is a ticklish issue for those of us with chronic anxiety that we don’t always have a monopoly on the truth.
I truly believe the issue of foreign, particularly Chinese interference, is so serious and pervasive that it requires a public inquiry. As France’s Institute of Strategic Research illustrated in an exhaustive study of Chinese influence operations, Beijing has interfered in 10 elections in seven countries in recent years. It uses every weapon of political warfare to control its diaspora population and manipulate and divide western countries.
If there were any doubts about the corrosive impact, a Léger poll from earlier this week should disabuse them. It suggested that trust in the integrity of the electoral system is in trouble — one in five does not trust the results of elections; nearly one in three does not believe they are open and fair.
Justin Trudeau should have ordered a public inquiry, but for reasons we can only speculate about he instead opted to appoint a special rapporteur, whose mandate remains a work in progress.
It is fair to doubt the impartiality of the prime minister. There are sufficient grounds to believe that his party — wittingly or unwittingly — benefited from China’s interference. Reports that donations worth $224,000 were made to Trudeau’s riding association by mainly Chinese donors in British Columbia over the course of two months in 2016 suggest he may have benefited personally. There are links from some of those donors to Canadian Alliance of Chinese Associations. The associations are active participants in the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, an arm of the Communist Party’s United Front Work Department, which aims to influence foreign politicians to adopt pro-Beijing positions.
The Liberal filibuster at parliamentary committees to avoid Trudeau’s chief of staff, Katie Telford, being called to appear as a witness is beyond suspicious.
So, it is essential that a third party of some kind look at the issue.
It is fair to question whether that should take the form of a special rapporteur, and if there is to be one, whether it should be someone with more experience in complex investigations, such as a Crown prosecutor.
But if it is to be Johnston — and it seems it is — it is not fair to question his allegiance. A 50-year career in public service makes clear that his loyalty is to Canada.
For Scheer — who was Speaker of the House while Johnston was GG — to question his integrity is especially shameful.
Johnston literally wrote the book on trust — a 2018 manual on 20 ways to build a better country.
In the introduction to Trust, Johnston says that we live in a time when public confidence in individuals and institutions is under siege. But he says democracy depends on the rule of law and that depends on trust in citizens and institutions. “People who trust are disinclined to trade in half-truths, myths, falsehoods and conspiracy theories, even if these fictions service individual interests,” he wrote.
In this case, the interests of the Conservative party are served by discrediting a man who believes that trust is the bedrock of our democracy.
Johnston says genuine trust is not leapt into blindly — it is gained through actions and decisions; from active inquiry rather than blind acceptance.
I am prepared to trust David Johnston to do the right thing for Canada and will be watching avidly to attempt to weigh his progress.
The alternative — as he notes in his introduction — is that, in the absence of trust, it’s hardly worth getting up in the morning.
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