Federal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced yesterday, Thursday, the appointment of former Governor General of Canada, David Johnston, as an independent special rapporteur tasked with determining whether a commission of inquiry should be established to examine allegations of foreign interference in the last two federal general election campaigns, in 2019 and 2021.

"This is a new position created as part of a series of measures aimed at combating foreign interference and increasing confidence in our federal electoral process and democratic institutions," said the Prime Minister's office in a press release.

The statement added that this decision came after "consultations with all parties in the House of Commons."

However, the date for Johnston to assume his new position has not yet been mentioned. The Prime Minister's office added that it is working with Johnston "to finalize the mandate assigned to him in the coming days" and that "the mandate will be announced thereafter."

In this new role, Mr. Johnston will have a broad mandate to examine the consequences of foreign interference in the last two federal general election cycles and provide expert recommendations on how to better protect our democracy and maintain Canadians' trust in it. Excerpt from a statement by the Office of the Canadian Prime Minister

The federal government also confirmed that it "will respect his general recommendations, which may include a formal inquiry, judicial review, or any other independent review process, and will implement them."

Trudeau had announced on March 6 his intention to appoint a "prominent Canadian" to this position. He also called on officials from the House of Commons Committee on National Security and Intelligence and the Office of the Security Intelligence Review Committee (OSSNR / NSIRA) to "take urgent steps" regarding the foreign interference issue.

Meanwhile, opposition parties in the House of Commons have been demanding for several weeks that Trudeau's Liberal government initiate a public inquiry into foreign interference. Former Trudeau advisors, such as Gerald Butts, also believe that a public inquiry is necessary.

The Canadian news network "Global News" and the widely circulated Canadian newspaper "The Globe and Mail" had published a series of detailed reports about interference attempts made by China during the last two federal election campaigns.