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Johnston suggests no formal public inquiry on foreign interference

Former governor general David Johnston announced on Tuesday that a formal inquiry into foreign interference is not needed.
In March, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had asked Johnston to lead an investigation into foreign interference in Canada, as allegations arose that China had infringed on the last two federal elections.
An initial report identified serious problems with how intelligence from security agencies was communicated to the government, but didn’t outline any specific instances where the prime minister failed to act on intelligence, advice or recommendations.
WATCH: Johnston to announce decision on public inquiry into foreign interference at 12 p.m.
Johnston said a public inquiry could not be completed because of the nature of the intelligence involved, but public hearings should be held as part of his own mandate.
He said formal subpoena powers are not needed for him to hold his own hearings with people such as academics or political stakeholders.
“There are serious shortcomings in the way intelligence is communicated and processed from security agencies through to government, but no examples have been identified of ministers, the prime minister or their offices knowingly or negligently failing to act on intelligence, advice or recommendations,” Johnston’s report said.
READ MORE: Trudeau names former governor general as special rapporteur on foreign meddling
The special rapporteur’s report also noted that specific claims of interference were less concerning than media reports suggested.
“When viewed in full context with all of the relevant intelligence, several leaked materials that raised legitimate questions turn out to have been misconstrued in some media reports, presumably because of the lack of this context,” it said, pointing to reports from Global News and the Globe and Mail that have controlled the political conversation around interference.
Johnston is expected to present a final report to the government at the end of October.