Toronto: A former governor general was appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday to serve as a special investigator to look into claims that China meddled in Canada's most recent two elections.
David Johnston will serve as the special rapporteur, according to a statement released by Trudeau on Wednesday. The need for a public enquiry will be determined by Johnston, and Trudeau promised to follow any recommendations.
The Globe and Mail reported last month that China preferred to see Trudeau's Liberals re-elected in the 2021 election and worked to defeat Conservative politicians seen as unfriendly to Beijing, according to unnamed intelligence sources.
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The governor general, who primarily serves in a ceremonial and symbolic capacity, represents the British monarch in his capacity as head of state. Johnston was named governor general by former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2010, and Justin Trudeau extended his tenure until 2017.
Johnston holds law degrees from Queen's University and the University of Cambridge. He served as the president of the University of Waterloo while also teaching law for 45 years.
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A comprehensive public enquiry into the alleged Chinese interference has been demanded by opposition parties.
According to Trudeau, all political figures concur that foreign interference did not affect the results of the elections in 2019 or 2021. But he has asserted that any interference by a foreign actor is still unacceptable even if the outcomes were unaffected.
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In a recent report, a group of civil servants came to the conclusion that while foreign attempts to meddle were made, the election's outcome was unaffected.