David Johnston’s testimony raises more questions about his (Bullshit) report on foreign interference

There wasn’t much chance going in that David Johnston was going to win over MPs reviewing his report on foreign interference. And when he left, he hadn’t provided much reassurance for Canadians that he got to the bottom of things.

The government’s special rapporteur on foreign interference had to expect that his appearance at a Commons committee would bring more questions about his impartiality, and those of his staff. And it did.

Trudeau asked a fellow member of Canada’s China Class to whitewash their entanglement with the Communist Regime.

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David Johnston’s in damage control mode — and it’s not working

Former governor general David Johnston has revealed he’s been using not one, but two reputation-management firms to do his work looking into foreign interference in Canada’s democracy. He might need a couple more.

For more than three hours on Tuesday, Johnston was plunged into the politics he’s tried to stay above during his long career in public service and academia.

His mission was to defend the work he’s done to date for Justin Trudeau’s government, looking into the white-hot issue of whether this country is vulnerable to foreign interference in its elections, notably from China.

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David Johnston says China interference whitewash may have been based on incomplete intelligence

David Johnston says China interference findings may have been based on incomplete intelligence

Former governor-general David Johnston conceded Tuesday that his findings that China did not orchestrate a campaign against the Conservative Party may have been based on incomplete intelligence, casting doubt on the special rapporteur’s report that a public inquiry into Beijing interference in Canadian democracy is not warranted.

In testimony before the Commons committee on procedure and House affairs, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh pressed Mr. Johnston to explain a contradiction between his report and what former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole told Parliament last week.

After all, how much intelligence is needed for a whitewash?

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Biden’s Declining Mental Acuity Is A Big Welcome Mat To Red China’s Aggression

President Joe Biden’s declining mental acuity has become a national security issue and has seemingly emboldened Red China’s willingness to engage in increasingly aggressive behavior.

On Saturday, a U.S. destroyer was abruptly cut off by a Chinese naval vessel during a transit through the Taiwan Strait. According to Fox News, the USS Chung-Hoon — which was conducting a “freedom of navigation” exercise with the Royal Canadian Navy — was forced to “slow down to 10 knots to avoid a collision” with the Chinese vessel. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement that the Chinese ship came within 150 yards of the U.S. destroyer and that China’s “actions violated the maritime ‘Rules of the Road’ of safe passage in international waters.”

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John Ivison: Blind to the obvious, David Johnston testifies against himself

It was a lamentable spectacle, watching the once-admired David Johnston, glassy-eyed and defiant, struggling to see the obvious conflicts

A recent episode of the excellent podcast The Rest is History explored the world of freemasonry, debating whether the masons are “a secret cabal of devil worshippers that run the world” or a “fraternity of like-minded individuals who enjoy eccentric rituals.”

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“There clearly were strange practices, unusual practices going on” at Dong nomination but that’s OK says Special Crony

Johnston did not interview Han Dong for foreign interference report

… David Johnston, a former governor general appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to review allegations of foreign meddling, told a House of Commons’ committee Tuesday that he did not interview Don Valley North MP Han Dong during his two-month probe.

That’s despite finding that “there clearly were strange practices, unusual practices going on” during Dong’s 2019 nomination contest in the safe Liberal riding. Johnston said his team did not conclude that those “strange practices” could be attributed to the People’s Republic of China, though his report noted suspicions that they could be.

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China’s Space Program: Designed to Defeat the United States

The US-China “Space Race” is but one dimension of the ongoing Cold War between the two superpowers. The national space programs of both countries are comprehensive in scope, running across the entire scientific spectrum. Both America and China are focused on scoring space spectaculars to influence the world as to which superpower will inherit the future. Each rival is seeking to be the first to land a human on Mars.

Far more significant than scoring space spectaculars, however, is the question of which nation will achieve military dominance in the domain of near-earth space. Chinese international media deceitfully stresses the peaceful, cooperative, and scientific nature of its national space program. However, the ambitious nature of China’s space program indicates that Beijing’s primary objective is to dominate near earth space.

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Special Crony David Johnston testifies before foreign interference committee … brought to you live in “Cronyvision”

Special Crony David Johnston testifies before foreign interference committee … brought to you live in “Cronyvision”

As mentioned this will be a couple of hours of how dare you question my integrity blah blah blah …

David Johnston’s lead counsel on foreign interference probe attended Trudeau fundraiser in 2021

The lead counsel for special rapporteur David Johnston, who oversees the government-appointed probe into Chinese foreign interference, has not only donated exclusively to the Liberal Party but also attended a private fundraiser where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was the guest of honour.

Elections Canada records show that Toronto lawyer Sheila Block participated in a private Zoom webinar fundraiser in late March, 2021, billed as a “Virtual Conversation with Anita Anand and Justin Trudeau.” Ms. Anand, now Defence Minister, was minister responsible for public services and procurement at the time.

h/t DM

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Trudeau Foundation Has Investments in Chinese Companies Flagged for Security Risks, Says Former Board Member

The Trudeau Foundation has investments in Chinese companies Baidu and Tencent, a former board member told MPs on a parliamentary committee. Both companies have been subjects of security warnings.

The Trudeau Foundation was created with a $125 million endowment from the federal government in 2001 in memory of former prime minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, to provide grants and academic scholarships.

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Special Crony David Johnston will testify before Parliamentary committee as resignation calls continue

David Johnston is set to appear at a House of Commons committee investigating claims of foreign interference as calls continue for his resignation as the government’s special rapporteur.

The 81-year-old former governor general will be at the Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC) for three hours on Tuesday, beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern.


This will be 3 hours of “How dare you impugn my integrity” mixed with “That information is unable to be released to the public” and “China been berry berry good to me.”

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Spy watchdog’s relations with intelligence agencies ‘challenging’: memo

Newly released documents say the intelligence community’s relationship with its key watchdog has been particularly strained over the last year due to a “level of resistance” to scrutiny.

The assessment appears in briefing materials prepared for Canada’s top public servant in advance of a late January meeting with the chair of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency.

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‘Appearance of bias’ undermines special rapporteur’s mission, Singh says

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says that despite special rapporteur David Johnston’s personal credibility, the appearance of bias in favour of the Liberal government is undermining the very work that he’s trying to accomplish.

“I believe he’s a person that is very credible and has worked for the country in a way that is really honourable,” Singh said in an interview on Rosemary Barton Live Sunday.

“The problem we’re up against, though, is the work he’s supposed to do is restore confidence in our electoral system, and the appearance of bias is so strong now that he can no longer do that work. The trust necessary is eroded because of the appearance of bias,” Singh told CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton.

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Singh says NDP won’t trigger election over Johnston, interference. Why?

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is defending his party’s decision not to make its motion calling for David Johnston to step down as special rapporteur binding and says an election does not “make sense” if the goal is protecting Canada’s democracy.

Singh told The West Block’s Mercedes Stephenson in an interview that aired Sunday that he wants to get a better understanding of the full extent of allegations of foreign interference.

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