"Special Rapporteur": David Johnston
From Twitter by Andrew Haynes @AndrewJWHaynes
The PERFECT Man to Serve as PM Justin Trudeau's personal "Special Rapporteur": David Johnston. So close and so aligned with Justin Trudeau it is uncanny. Let us count the ways Mr Johnston (fine person though he may be) is in NO WAY INDEPENDENT OF Justin Trudeau and China issues:
1. David Johnston has been close family friends w/ Trudeau for years - they were cottage neighbours. Johnston: "our friendship with Mr. Trudeau goes back to children's days when our five daughters & he & his two brothers skied together at Mt Tremblant /2
David Johnston understands the importance of the China-Canada economic relationship, and he has personally been involved in trade promotion between China and Canada. /3
David Johnston has personally met Chinese leader Xi Jinping several times as Governor-General, and has made public statements praising China under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party. /4
David Johnston has been very involved in the Canada China Business Council. He travelled with them to speak at their AGM in Beijing in 2013, and paid tribute to founding CCBC member Paul Desmarais of Power Corp and to the growth of Canada-China trade. /5
Three of Johnston's children studied in People's Republic of China Universities. Debbie at Hong Kong, Zhejiang & Nanjing; Alex for two years at Beijing & Hangzhou; and Jenifer at Fudan University in Shanghai. /6
David Johnston established Rideau Hall Foundation charity where he is the Chair. On his RHF Board are Directors: Dominic Barton (former Ambassador to China & ex-CEO of McKinsey), Hong Kong Court of Appeal Justice Beverly McLachlin & Liberal Mark Carney. /7
David Johnston is a Member of the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation where he oversees governance. The brother of Justin Trudeau, Alexandre, was a Director for years, and now Justin's Sister Sarah Coyne is a Director of the Foundation. /8
The PET Foundation where David Johnston is a Member charged w/ overseeing Governance has been identified by CSIS as a potential channel for attempted corruption of Canadian public officials. /9
David Johnston has a professional & personal relationship with PM Justin Trudeau from his time as Governor-General. During this time they developed a deeper personal friendship as they both resided on the Rideau Hall estate, as stated by Mr. Johnston. /10
David Johnston was the Chair of the Board of Overseers of Harvard University and a Member for some years. During his tenure Harvard received Hundreds of Millions of Dollars in donations from the People's Republic of China and Communist Party Members /11
David Johnston was Principal of McGill University from 1979 to 1994. PM Justin Trudeau was a student at McGill (as was his former Chief of Staff Gerry Butts) between 1990 and 1994. Johnston and Trudeau had been family friends for decades at this point. /12
David Johnston was a Law Professor at McGill, as well as Principal. His colleague at McGill Law School was (now) Minister of Justice in the Trudeau Liberal Government David Lametti. /13
David Johnston has a history of seeking to avoid investigations into sensitive matters. Johnston, as adviser to PM Harper on the terms of reference for Oliphant inquiry into Mulroney recommended against including the Airbus scandal in its mandate. /14
Johnston has made public comment on the Huawei CFO extradition case, making clear his view that Canada has to prioritise the economic relationship with the People's Republic of China. /15
David Johnston as President of the University of Waterloo signed agreements allowing the installation of the Confucius Institute. The Confucius Institute is an arm of the Chinese Communist Party United Front propaganda.
Noé Chartier @NChartierET Here is David Johnston as president of the University of Waterloo signing with Chinese officials the deal to implant a Confucius Institute on campus.
Here's a primer on the "Trojan Horse" institutes: https://heritage.org/homeland-security/commentary/confucius-institutes-chinas-trojan-horse
Reinforcing point 1 above, but worth watching to hear David Johnston say himself what close friends he is with the Trudeau family:
David Johnston was President of Waterloo University from 1999. Waterloo was the university that collaborated most w/ Chinese military scientists...of 50 universities w/ extensive research collaborations with China dating back to 2005 under Johnston.
Johnston served as Head of Debates Commission where he reduced number of Engl. debates from 3 to 1 (allowing Trudeau to avoid a Foreign Policy Debate proposed by Munk Foundation) & named Rosemary Barton as Moderator (she personally sued Conservative Party)
Johnston was given public money by Trudeau Gov't to establish his Rideau Hall Foundation. He could have chosen anyone for his Board. Whom did he choose? Former senior adviser to Chinese State SOEs & chief Opioid Promoter himself Dominic Barton.
Fun Fact about David Johnston - he has adopted a Chinese name! He is known as “Jiangshan” in the People's Republic of China.
Johnston established deep relations between U of Waterloo & Nanjing Uni. in PRC, pushing academic exchanges & cooperation resulting in establishment of Sino-Canadian College & Confucius Institute at Waterloo. He was granted an Hon Doctorate by NJU in 2012.
Johnston has publicly stated a great affection for China & has visited more than a Dozen times since 1981, when he re-established the medical exchange between McGill University & Peking Union Medical College. He notes his daughter is fluent in Mandarin.
Fun photo! David Johnston & former Liberal Cabinet Minister and (disgraced) Ambassador to China John McCallum together at Chongqing University in the People's Republic of China:
Johnston addressed Chongqing University in 2017 stating that: "he has a profound Chinese complex, and his daughters are all learning Chinese. Now his grandchildren often tell him things about China."
Fun photo! David Johnston receiving an Honorary Doctorate from Nanjing University in the People's Republic of China in 2012. As President of Waterloo University Johnston established formal ties with Nanjing University.
David Johnston has an MO in handling inquiries for PMs, which is very different than the public's expectations. Detailed article by former CoS in Mulroney PMO @nspector4 on Johnston's role in seeking to limit scope of Oliphant inquiry re Mulroney/Airbus:
As a follow-up, the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation has deleted the page on their
@fdnPETF website showing David Johnston as a Member responsible for Governance. Not clear if he resigned, was removed or they just deleted the web page.
Johnston’s daughter Alex Johnston worked in office of Ontario Liberal Premier McGuinty. She worked directly for Gerry Butts - former Chief of Staff of Trudeau PMO, Liberal campaign strategist, BFF of Trudeau & man who makes Trudeau’s arms & legs move.
And this same daughter Alex Johnston, who was a ski chum of Justin Trudeau according to her Dad David, also attended College Jean de Brebeuf in Montreal with Justin Trudeau.