Ex-governor general reviewing allegations of Chinese interference in Canada resigns

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OTTAWA, Ont. (AP) A Canadian government appointee charged with investigating allegations of Chinese interference in Canada announced Friday that he is stepping down, citing the highly partisan atmosphere around his job.

Former Governor General David Johnston said in a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that his leadership of the government’s investigation into alleged Chinese interference had not helped build trust in democratic institutions due to partisanship. .

The appointment of Johnston, who announced he would release a brief final report, was controversial, with opposition Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre accusing him of being too close to the Trudeau family.

All opposition parties in the House of Commons have called on the government to hold a public inquiry into allegations of foreign interference, but Johnston recently released a report recommending against it.

Johnston said he encouraged Trudeau to appoint a respected person with national security experience to complete the investigation and consult with opposition parties on who it should be.

Then-Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed Johnston Governor General in 2010 and his term was extended under Trudeau until 2017. The Governor General is the representative of the British monarch as head of state, a essentially ceremonial and symbolic post.

Johnston is also a former member of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation.

Trudeau said he had full confidence in Johnstons handling of the investigation and downplayed any family ties.

Earlier this year, Canada expelled a Chinese diplomat suspected by Canada’s spy agency of involvement in a plot to intimidate a conservative opposition lawmaker and his relatives in Hong Kong. The lawmaker had criticized Beijing’s human rights record. China expelled a Canadian diplomat in retaliation this month.

China routinely uses threats against family members to intimidate critics from the Chinese diaspora.

Sino-Canadian relations fell apart after China arrested former diplomat Michael Kovrig and entrepreneur Michael Spavor. It came shortly after Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of telecommunications giant Huawei and daughter of the company’s founder, at the request of US authorities who charged her with fraud.

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