Ottawa: NDP leader Jagmeet Singh is pushing for Special Rapporteur David Johnston to ‘step aside’, who has been appointed in the case of foreign interference in the elections.
Speaking to reporters from the House of Commons on Monday, Jagmeet Singh said he did not want to make a personal attack on Johnston, but the apparent bias would ruin all the work of the Special Rapporteur.
On Tuesday, during the pre-scheduled NDP opposition day, the NDP will come up with a resolution that Johnston should stop playing his role or that the federal government will conduct a public inquiry, he said.
The resolution will be moved by MP Rachel Blaney on behalf of the NDP. It will call for Johnston’s removal from office as well as press for an immediate investigation into the matter. It will also be demanded that this inquiry be led by a person who is elected unanimously by all the parties present in the House and inquiry be led by a person who is elected unanimously by all the parties present in the House.
Likewise, investigating officer should be given such powers so that the interference in the elections not only from China but also from other countries can be evaluated. The person should be asked to submit his report and recommendations before the dissolution of Parliament or before the next federal elections, the NDP said.
Meanwhile, the motion, if passed as drafted, passed would require the Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC), which led the parliamentary study on foreign interference in elections, to recommend who will lead the investigation and what conditions will be laid down for it.