The House of Commons voted to replace David Johnston

The House of Commons is officially asking Special Rapporteur David Johnston to step down and leave for someone else to be chosen by a majority of elected officials from all parties.

• Read more: Trudeau condemns ‘extremely toxic’ approach to opposition to Johnston inquiry

• Read more: The NDP doesn’t want to rush Canadians to the polls because of interference

• Read more: Jagmeet Singh calls for David Johnston’s withdrawal

Once is not customary. Conservatives and Black have joined the New Democrats behind the motion. The Liberals, for their part, voted against the motion as a whole, but not enough to defeat it.

The outcome of the vote, which was known in advance, was unlikely to change the mind of Justin Trudeau, who continued to stand up despite the ruckus during question time before the vote.

The selection of former Governor General David Johnston as special rapporteur was contested from the start due to his historical ties to the Trudeau family.

David Johnston indicated at the end of the day that he wanted to remain in office despite the vote.

“I deeply respect the right of the House of Commons to comment on my future work, but my mandate comes from the government. I am committed to continue this work till the end of my tenure,” he said in his statement.

Opposition to his appointment has grown tenfold since he ruled last week against holding a public inquiry to shed light on China’s interference in Canadian affairs.

Earlier, Mr. Trudeau, the leaders of the Conservative Party and the Bloc Québécois accused him of “making the situation very toxic” by demanding the departure of special rapporteur David Johnston, who he accused of “serving” the Liberals. .

“It is clear that there is a tendency not to take the issue of foreign interference seriously and that it does not even want to inform them. […]. Instead they opt for personal attacks,” he said on Wednesday morning.

Pressure is mounting on the government as the House of Commons prepares to vote Wednesday on an NDP motion calling for David Johnston to step down as rapporteur in favor of someone elected by parliament.

So the Liberals have isolated themselves on this file since the coalition with the NDP was announced last year.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh argued Tuesday that he did not want to make the government a confidence vote to threaten an election because confidence in these elections had already been shaken.