44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 1, 2023 10:00AM
- Jun/1/23 2:19:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Parliament passed a motion expressing its lack of confidence in David Johnston, the ski buddy, cottage neighbour and Trudeau Foundation member that the Prime Minister tasked with investigating Beijing's interference. In response, Mr. Johnston said that he was working not for Parliament, but for the government and the Prime Minister. That is the problem. Only 27% of Canadians trust him to do the job.
Will the Prime Minister finally fire David Johnston and appoint an independent judge for an independent inquiry?
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- Jun/1/23 2:20:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I believe it is unfair, and frankly offensive, to question Mr. Johnston's allegiance.
His 50-year career in public service makes it clear that his loyalty is to Canada. I believe he represents the highest ideals of hard work, dedication, public service and humility. We should all be thankful that he perseveres in his commitment to service to Canada.
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- Jun/1/23 2:26:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is not inconsequential: A foreign power is attacking our democracy.
Most Canadians are concerned and are calling for a public inquiry. Most of the people elected by these Canadians are calling for a public inquiry. Only one man, the Prime Minister, is going against the will of the people. The Prime Minister's only supporter, David Johnston, is an unelected individual who, by his own admission, reports only to the Prime Minister, and certainly not to Canadians or their elected officials.
If we want to defend our democracy, we must start by respecting our democracy. What does the Prime Minister not understand about that?
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- Jun/1/23 2:30:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in response to yesterday's vote, in which members of Parliament, representing a clear majority of Canadian voters, demanded that he step down, phony rapporteur David Johnston said he is not going anywhere. In fact, he said—
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- Jun/1/23 2:30:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in response to yesterday's vote, where MPs, representing a clear majority of Canadians, voted for him to step aside, rapporteur David Johnston said he is not going anywhere. In fact, he said he does not work for Parliament or Canadians; he said he works for the government.
That is the problem. He works for the same Liberal government that benefited from Beijing's election interference. He personally serves the Prime Minister, who chose to do nothing while Chinese Canadians were bullied into voting for his Liberal Party. Nobody is fooled by this sham of a process. When will the Prime Minister fire his ski buddy and call a public inquiry?
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- Jun/1/23 2:31:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am reminded once again that it is not only unfair but also deeply offensive to listen to the member opposite question Mr. Johnston's allegiance to this country. His 50-year career in public service has made it clear to everyone that his loyalty is to Canada. As I also said, and to quote former prime minister Harper, “[David Johnston] represents hard work, dedication, public service and humility.” Canada is blessed to have a man so dedicated to public service, persevering through this type of abuse.
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- Jun/1/23 2:31:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canada is cursed by a Prime Minister who tarnished that man's reputation by involving him in this scandal.
The Prime Minister cannot be the one to decide how to investigate this scandal, because he benefited from it. David Johnston cannot decide either, because he is a family friend and a long-time member of the Trudeau Foundation. Frank Iacobucci cannot be the one to sign off on David Johnston's role, because he is part of the Trudeau Foundation as well. Those are conflicts of interest.
Why is it that whenever the best interests of Canadians conflict with the political interests of the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister always chooses himself?
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- Jun/1/23 2:34:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I already explained, Mr. Johnston's 50-year career in public service, culminating in his role as the governor general of this country, has made it crystal clear to all Canadians that his loyalty is to Canada—
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- Jun/1/23 2:35:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have already made clear, Mr. Johnston has a 50-year career in public service, culminating in his role as the former governor general of Canada. This has made it crystal clear to all Canadians, and certainly to this House, that his loyalty is to this country, to this nation, to Canada. His ideals of hard-working dedication, and his commitment to persevere through some of the, frankly, offensive criticism that is being sent his way, is something for which all Canadians should be grateful.
We are very fortunate to have a man of his experience and values leading this work on behalf of the nation.
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- Jun/1/23 2:39:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what is the Prime Minister so desperately trying to hide from Canadians that he is willing to jeopardize the credibility of Canada's democracy?
He insists on keeping his special rapporteur, longtime family friend and member of the Trudeau Foundation. Why is he doing that? Because he is satisfied with his work. In fact, David Johnston did exactly what the Prime Minister expected of him. He implemented the Prime Minister's plan and sheltered him from a public inquiry.
Will the Prime Minister finally admit that he knew in advance, when he said that he would follow the recommendations of his rapporteur and special friend, that he would not recommend a public inquiry?
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- Jun/1/23 2:44:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last night the special rapporteur admitted it himself. The Prime Minister gave him his mandate and he could care less about the vote in the House of Commons. I would like to quote from Le Journal de Montréal:
…Mr. Johnston has obviously become Justin Trudeau's adviser.... As he understands it, his role is to protect his boss, the Prime Minister…even if it means sacrificing his career and the reputation that goes with it.
This was written today by Yasmine Abdelfadel in her column entitled “Democracy's new enemy is David Johnston”. The Conservatives are not the ones saying this.
When is the Prime Minister finally going to put the former governor general out of his misery by ending this charade and launching an independent public inquiry?
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- Jun/1/23 2:44:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, earlier, my colleague explained how, throughout his entire career, David Johnston has always been dedicated to Canada, to Canadians, to serving the public well.
Now, I call on my colleagues, whether my Conservative colleagues or those of the Bloc Québécois, to ensure that we respect and protect Canadian intelligence and those who work to gather this intelligence. I would ask that the party leaders go and get their secret clearance, that they sit in on the briefings, that we stop sharing and debating opinions, and that we work with the facts to find solutions that are actually constructive for our democracy and our institutions.
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