Feds Allocated Nearly $5 Million for Expenses Related to Johnston’s Role as Special Rapporteur: Records

David Johnston, Independent Special Rapporteur on Foreign Interference, appears as a witness at the Procedure and House Affairs Committee on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 6, 2023. Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press

The federal government had earmarked almost $5 million to pay for the legal and publicity fees of consultants who were sole-sourced to aid David Johnston in his former role as independent special rapporteur (ISR) on foreign interference, records show.

“The Privy Council Office committed to ensuring the Independent Special Rapporteur had the resources he needed to complete his work,” said an Inquiry of Ministry document tabled in Parliament, obtained and reviewed by Blacklock’s Reporter.