An elder statesman tapped by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to look into allegations that China meddled in Canada’s last two elections resigned on Friday following opposition party backlash over his appointment. | AFP
“When I undertook the task of independent special rapporteur on foreign interference, my objective was to help build trust in our democratic institutions,” Johnston said in his resignation letter.
“I have concluded that given the highly partisan atmosphere around my appointment and work, my leadership has had the opposite effect.” Trudeau’s minority liberal government has faced pressure to explain how it responded to the claims — first reported by local media, citing leaked intelligence documents and unnamed sources — that Beijing sought to influence or subvert Canada’s democratic process.
The reported accusations included secret campaign donations and Chinese operatives working for Canadian candidates or lawmakers in an attempt to influence policy. More recently, it emerged that Beijing sought to intimidate an opposition Canadian lawmaker and his relatives in Hong Kong over his criticisms of China.Beijing, which has called the accusations “groundless,” reacted by sending home a Canadian diplomat while warning that aligning with Washington’s policy on China risked sabotaging Canada’s relations with its second-largest trading partner.
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