'Tone-deaf': Singh slams rapporteur Johnston for not stepping down

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh slammed foreign interference special rapporteur David Johnston's refusal to heed the House of Commons' call for him to step down as 'tone-deaf.'

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh slammed foreign interference special rapporteur David Johnston's refusal to heed the House of Commons' call for him to step down as "tone-deaf."

"With all due respect to the service of Mr. Johnston and his previous public service, I believe that his response to the vote on our motion is tone-deaf," Singh said in a statement Thursday.

On Wednesday, the majority of MPs—all from opposition parties— passed a motion calling for Johnston to "step aside" after he recommended against a public inquiry, and in light of the "serious questions" raised about his mandate and conclusions. 

Within an hour of the non-binding motion being passed, Johnston issued a statement asserting his intention to continue on with his work. He said that while he "deeply" respects the right of the House of Commons to "express its opinion about my work going forward" his mandate came from the government.

Singh, whose party presented the motion calling for Johnston to resign and for the government to forge ahead with a public inquiry rather than the former governor general's plans for public hearings, said Thursday that he "would have expected a more thoughtful approach and respect for the will of the House of Commons from a former governor general."

"I am very disappointed with the lack of understanding of the importance of such a vote calling for him to step aside and the rapidity with which he responded to this vote," Singh said. "Going forward, I expect, it will be very difficult for Mr. Johnston."

Singh said that the problem from the outset of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointing Johnston in March as part of a suite of measures meant to assuage Canadians' concerns about foreign interference, is the process is not independent from the government.