Trudeau puts rapporteur in no-win situation

Opinion

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This article was published 20/03/2023 (934 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Over his years leading the Liberal party and the government of Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has shown a remarkable capacity for making bad situations worse.

With his decision to name a “rapporteur” on allegations of China’s interference in Canadian elections, he is once again threatening to take a potentially bad situation and turn it into a national scandal.

There is mounting evidence — from intelligence reports, news reports and anecdotal sources — that China has been deliberately meddling in Canadian electoral politics, perhaps to create an advantage for Mr. Trudeau’s Liberal government.

Further, there is strong evidence that Mr. Trudeau and senior members of his government were warned of increasing efforts to influence elections and did nothing.

What appears to be certain is that China is meddling in Canadian politics, and is likely doing the same in democratic nations all over the world. Less certain is whether this strategic meddling has actually affected the outcome of any Canadian election.

Still, the 2019 and 2021 elections resulted in razor-thin minority mandates for the Liberals, where they won slightly more seats than the Conservatives but received fewer votes overall. It’s possible that in that context, a little meddling may have gone a lone way.

Given the circumstances, a growing chorus of voices has demanded Mr. Trudeau call a non-partisan commission of inquiry.

The prime minister has steadfastly refused, arguing that work by intelligence agencies and by two special panels convened to investigate the allegations — one an all-party committee and another involving the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency — will suffice.

Yet, as pressure for an inquiry continues to escalate, Mr. Trudeau tapped a longtime family friend to advise him on what to do once the work of the two panels is completed. In doing so, he has added more political intrigue and concern.

The concern is not so much about whether former governor general David Johnston is qualified to advise the prime minister. He is widely considered, by politicians of all stripes, to be a deeply professional, unambiguously ethical man. But he is also someone with deep personal ties to the Liberal party and to the Trudeau family.

Among the many appointments he accepted after completing his term as governor general, Mr. Johnston serves on the board of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, an organization established by former prime minister Jean Chrétien to pay for scholarships, academic fellowships and leadership programs. News reports have established that as part of its broad campaign of influence, China donated $200,000 to the foundation.

It would be easy to get caught in the weeds of this part of the story. Mr. Johnston may, even in light of his involvement with the now-compromised Trudeau Foundation, be able to provide objective advice to the prime minister on whether to call a full inquiry. But the optics do Mr. Trudeau no favours.

Caught in the maelstrom of allegations of nation-to-nation influence peddling and electoral interference, Mr. Trudeau has created another layer of concern, this time about conflicts of interest involving Mr. Johnston.

All that leaves Mr. Johnston in a no-win situation. Mr. Trudeau has said he will accept the rapporteur’s recommendations on whether to hold an inquiry. If Mr. Johnston recommends an inquiry, fine. But should Mr. Johnston indicate one is not needed, the calls for an inquiry will quickly turn into howls.

Either way, it appears the prime minister has turned a potentially explosive situation into one that will almost certainly blow up in his face. As is his way.