A majority of Canadians — 67% — believe the Chinese government did attempt to interfere in Canadian elections in 2019 and 2021.. Angus Reid pollAngus Reid poll .Additionally, more than half of Canadians disagree with former Governor General and ‘special rapporteur’ David Johnston’s decision to not call for a public inquiry into what the Trudeau government knew and how it reacted to attempted election interference from the Chinese Communist Party.. Angus Reid pollAngus Reid poll .These are among the findings of a national public opinion survey, self-commissioned by the Angus Reid Institute (ARI), which found 52% of respondents believe Johnston erred in his judgment and there is more to learn about the allegations..Only 32% said there was nothing more to learn while 16% were unsure..Not surprisingly, there are deep political divisions on the issue of meddling by the Chinese government, with the vast majority of past conservative voters — 81% — saying they were frustrated with Johnston’s decision and want a public inquiry, followed by 64% of Liberal/NDP voters wanting an inquiry and 60% of Bloc Quebecois in agreement.. Angus Reid pollAngus Reid poll .In terms of the Liberal government’s response to the interference, 57% of respondents believe it has been evasive, with only 16% saying it has been transparent. Again, there are differences along party lines, with 86% of Conservative voters and 87% of Bloc Quebecois voters saying the government has been evasive, while 73% of Liberal/NDP voters (32% and 41% respectively) agree it has been evasive..“A key finding of Johnston’s report is the federal government must improve its mechanisms for tracking and combatting attempts at foreign election interference,” says ARI, adding Johnston noted serious problems with how intelligence is shared and considerably more needs to be done to increase Canada’s ability to resist foreign interference in the democratic process.”. Angus Reid pollAngus Reid poll .ARI’s public opinion poll says the Liberal government has a confidence problem in this area..A meagre 7% of respondents said they're totally confident the government will effectively handle the issue, while 30% said they have some confidence, with 63% saying they have little or no confidence at all. Looking at the results regionally, not a single province or area had a majority of respondents who said they have any confidence..Choosing Johnston as the ‘special rapporteur’ was controversial because of his close ties to the Liberals and the Trudeau family..“When appointing Johnston as special rapporteur on this issue, Trudeau characterized Johnston as having an unimpeachable character and history,” says ARI..“Trudeau has also, however, described Johnston as a family friend, and Johnston has been a member of the Trudeau Foundation since 2018. That charitable organization has been under intense scrutiny recently for a past donation from two Chinese businessmen with a relationship to the Chinese government.”.When asked “what is your view of Johnston as the choice to lead this investigation?’ 44% of respondents said he was the wrong choice. By party affiliation, 72% agreed he was the wrong choice; 51% of Bloc Quebecois said wrong choice, while 51% of the Liberal/NDP block (19% and 32% respectively) said was Johnston was the wrong choice.
A majority of Canadians — 67% — believe the Chinese government did attempt to interfere in Canadian elections in 2019 and 2021.. Angus Reid pollAngus Reid poll .Additionally, more than half of Canadians disagree with former Governor General and ‘special rapporteur’ David Johnston’s decision to not call for a public inquiry into what the Trudeau government knew and how it reacted to attempted election interference from the Chinese Communist Party.. Angus Reid pollAngus Reid poll .These are among the findings of a national public opinion survey, self-commissioned by the Angus Reid Institute (ARI), which found 52% of respondents believe Johnston erred in his judgment and there is more to learn about the allegations..Only 32% said there was nothing more to learn while 16% were unsure..Not surprisingly, there are deep political divisions on the issue of meddling by the Chinese government, with the vast majority of past conservative voters — 81% — saying they were frustrated with Johnston’s decision and want a public inquiry, followed by 64% of Liberal/NDP voters wanting an inquiry and 60% of Bloc Quebecois in agreement.. Angus Reid pollAngus Reid poll .In terms of the Liberal government’s response to the interference, 57% of respondents believe it has been evasive, with only 16% saying it has been transparent. Again, there are differences along party lines, with 86% of Conservative voters and 87% of Bloc Quebecois voters saying the government has been evasive, while 73% of Liberal/NDP voters (32% and 41% respectively) agree it has been evasive..“A key finding of Johnston’s report is the federal government must improve its mechanisms for tracking and combatting attempts at foreign election interference,” says ARI, adding Johnston noted serious problems with how intelligence is shared and considerably more needs to be done to increase Canada’s ability to resist foreign interference in the democratic process.”. Angus Reid pollAngus Reid poll .ARI’s public opinion poll says the Liberal government has a confidence problem in this area..A meagre 7% of respondents said they're totally confident the government will effectively handle the issue, while 30% said they have some confidence, with 63% saying they have little or no confidence at all. Looking at the results regionally, not a single province or area had a majority of respondents who said they have any confidence..Choosing Johnston as the ‘special rapporteur’ was controversial because of his close ties to the Liberals and the Trudeau family..“When appointing Johnston as special rapporteur on this issue, Trudeau characterized Johnston as having an unimpeachable character and history,” says ARI..“Trudeau has also, however, described Johnston as a family friend, and Johnston has been a member of the Trudeau Foundation since 2018. That charitable organization has been under intense scrutiny recently for a past donation from two Chinese businessmen with a relationship to the Chinese government.”.When asked “what is your view of Johnston as the choice to lead this investigation?’ 44% of respondents said he was the wrong choice. By party affiliation, 72% agreed he was the wrong choice; 51% of Bloc Quebecois said wrong choice, while 51% of the Liberal/NDP block (19% and 32% respectively) said was Johnston was the wrong choice.
