On the China file, Johnston fails the test of Caesar's wife — and he must know it
An executive would never be permitted to be in such a position
Does the conduct of our former governor general, David Johnston, in accepting the position of special rapporteur with respect to the Chinese government’s influence in two federal elections, a post that requires him to decide on the ethics of his friend and cottage neighbour Justin Trudeau, pass the purity test? Meaning, not only is he free of a conflict of interest, but is he “seen” to be “pure,” (i.e. unimpeachable) as well?
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We know that Johnston is a family friend of Trudeau, that they are cottage neighbours, that Trudeau took ski trips with Johnston’s daughters in his youth and that Johnston had a prominent role in the Trudeau foundation, which itself received secret donations from a Chinese benefactor that it has had to give back.
But worse, as the National Post’s Terry Glavin has pointed out, Johnston has been involved in establishing the Confucius Institute, part of the Chinese government’s propaganda machine, and has received honorary doctorates from three Chinese Universities. Three of Johnston’s daughters also went to university in China and the board of directors of his own Rideau Hall foundation are, as Glavin put it, “a snapshot of the who’s-who of Beijing’s best friends and business partners in Canada.”
Looking at Johnston’s acceptance of this position through a legal prism then, given his history, both respecting his involvements both with China and our PM, there is little doubt that he would fail the test.
https://financialpost.com/fp-work/da...est-china-file