David Johnston (governor general)

1.1. Childhood and education

Johnston attended Sault Collegiate Institute in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, where he excelled as a quarterback for the football team. He also played under-17 hockey alongside future National Hockey League (NHL) members Phil Esposito and Tony Esposito, as well as Lou Nanne. Johnston harbored aspirations of playing in the NHL, and was even scouted by Jimmy Skinner. However, his mother, upon learning that most drafted players did not complete high school, declined to pursue further negotiations.

In 1959, Johnston graduated from high school and enrolled at Harvard University. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, in 1963. During his time at Harvard, he captained the varsity ice hockey team under coach Cooney Weiland and was twice selected to the All-America team. It was at Harvard that he befriended Erich Segal, who later based a character, Davey, a hockey team captain, on Johnston in his best-selling novel Love Story. Johnston experienced three concussions during his football and hockey career, leading his doctor to advise him to either wear a helmet (uncommon at the time) or cease playing hockey.

After Harvard, Johnston briefly considered attending the Boston Bruins training camp for an NHL career. However, he ultimately chose to continue his legal education, attending Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where he obtained a Bachelor of Laws with honours in 1965. He then earned another Bachelor of Laws with first-class honours from Queen's University in 1966. During this period, Johnston married his high school sweetheart, Sharon Johnston, with whom he has five daughters. He was hired by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt but took a one-year leave of absence that extended indefinitely, as he pursued his academic and public service career.

2.1. University presidencies and deanships

After completing his law degrees, Johnston began his academic career in 1966 as an assistant professor at the Queen's University Faculty of Law. He then joined the University of Toronto's law faculty, teaching there until 1974, eventually achieving the rank of full professor.

In 1974, Johnston was appointed dean of the University of Western Ontario Law School, a position he held until 1979. He then became the fourteenth Principal and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University, serving until 1994. During his tenure at McGill, he became acquainted with Pierre Trudeau and his family, as their children played together at their adjacent cottages in the Laurentian Mountains. Also during his time at McGill, in 1981, Johnston made the first of what would become a dozen visits to China as a university president. He described Nanjing University as his "second home" and "home away from home" during an Innovation Forum there in 2013.

In 1994, Johnston stepped down as principal of McGill but remained a law professor at the university. In 1999, he was installed as the fifth President of the University of Waterloo, a role he held until 2010. During this period, he and his wife acquired a home in Heidelberg, Ontario, and began operating an adjacent horse training ranch called Chatterbox Farm. At the University of Waterloo, Johnston fostered academic exchanges with universities and technological institutes. In 2005, with his strong support, the University of Waterloo established a Confucius Institute and Sino-Canadian College in partnership with Nanjing University. In 2006, alongside Jim Balsillie and the Mayor of Waterloo, Johnston established a Waterloo Steering Committee to engage business leaders, academics, and citizens in setting goals for educational achievement, access to services, investment in infrastructure, and social inclusion.

3.1. Major inquiries and commission activities

Johnston gained a reputation as a non-partisan individual, though he has expressed explicit support for Canadian federalism, co-chairing the Montreal No Committee during the 1995 Quebec referendum on independence and writing a book opposing Quebec separatism titled If Quebec Goes: The Real Cost of Separation. He has also published numerous books on law, contributed chapters to other volumes, written magazine articles, and assisted in drafting legislation.

He moderated several televised leaders' debates, including those for the 1979 Canadian federal election (between Pierre Trudeau, Joe Clark, and Ed Broadbent) and the 1984 Canadian federal election (featuring Brian Mulroney, John Turner, and Broadbent]). He also moderated the 1987 Ontario general election debate with David Peterson, Bob Rae, and Larry Grossman. Additionally, Johnston acted as moderator for two public affairs panel discussion programs, The Editors and The World in Review, which aired in the 1990s on both CBC Newsworld in Canada and PBS in the United States.

Johnston chaired several investigations commissioned by both federal and provincial Crowns-in-Council. These included the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy in the late 1980s, the National Task Force on High Speed Broadband Access, the Committee on Information Systems for the Environment, and the Advisory Committee on Online Learning. He also served on Ontario's Infertility and Adoption Review Panel (2008-2009) and other scientific and public policy panels. He sat on the Ontario government's Task Force on Management of Large Scale Information and Information Technology Projects and a Ministry of Health panel investigating "smart systems." Johnston also served on various corporate boards of directors, including those of Fairfax Financial Holdings, CGI Group, Dominion Textiles, Southam Incorporated, SPAR Aerospace, Seagram's, and Canada Trust. On March 22, 2010, he was named to the Board of Governors of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. He is the only non-American citizen to chair the Harvard Board of Overseers.

On November 14, 2007, then-Governor General Michaëlle Jean, on the advice of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, appointed Johnston as an independent adviser. His task was to draft the terms of reference for the public inquiry, known as the Oliphant Commission, into the Airbus affair. This appointment, however, drew criticism from the independent citizens' group Democracy Watch, which cited a potential conflict of interest given Johnston's previous reporting directly to Mulroney when the latter was prime minister. Johnston submitted his report on January 11, 2008, outlining seventeen questions for further investigation. He controversially excluded the awarding of the Airbus contract from the inquiry's scope, stating it had already been investigated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. This decision led to criticism from opposition members of parliament, who accused Johnston of acting as the Prime Minister's proxy, especially after it was revealed that Mulroney had accepted 300.00 K USD in cash from Karlheinz Schreiber, a link Oliphant could not examine due to the narrow mandate. Despite this, figures like Peter George (then-president of McMaster University), the editorial board of The Globe and Mail, and Andrew Coyne of Maclean's defended Johnston, emphasizing his integrity and independence.

For his extensive corporate, government, charitable, and academic work, Johnston was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1988, and was promoted to the rank of Companion in 1997.

4.1. Appointment and inauguration

On July 8, 2010, the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada announced that Queen Elizabeth II had approved Prime Minister Stephen Harper's recommendation for Johnston to succeed Michaëlle Jean as the Queen's representative. A special search committee, convened by the Prime Minister and headed by Sheila-Marie Cook (secretary to the Governor General), recommended Johnston for the viceregal position. The committee also included Kevin S. MacLeod (the Canadian Secretary to the Queen, Usher of the Black Rod of the Senate of Canada, and parliament's top protocol officer); Christopher Manfredi (dean of the Faculty of Arts at McGill University); Rainer Knopff (a political scientist at the University of Calgary); Father Jacques Monet of the Canadian Institute of Jesuit Studies; and Christopher McCreery (historian and private secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia). This committee conducted extensive national consultations with over 200 individuals, including academics, political leaders, and former prime ministers, to develop a short list of candidates, which also included John de Chastelain and John Fraser.

The appointment was widely praised by figures such as former University of Toronto president Robert Prichard, columnist Andrew Coyne, and then-Opposition Leader Michael Ignatieff. In Quebec, the press focused on Johnston's ties to McGill University and his prominent role during the 1995 Quebec referendum. Gérald Larose, president of Quebec's Conseil de la souveraineté, called Johnston an "adversary" of Quebec independence, and Mario Beaulieu, head of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society, deemed the nomination "partisan" and Johnston a "federalist extremist." Columnist Richard Martineau criticized these statements as creating a "fake scandal," arguing that any Governor General of Canada would advocate for Canadian unity. Johnston's relatively low public profile was also expected to result in less criticism directed at the office compared to his two predecessors.

On September 3, 2010, the Queen issued her commission, under the royal sign-manual and Great Seal of Canada, officially naming Johnston as her next Canadian representative. Three days later, Johnston had an audience with the Queen during a two-day stay at Balmoral Castle, where he was invested by the monarch as a Commander of both the Order of Military Merit and the Order of Merit of the Police Forces. Johnston announced that his installation ceremony would be themed "A call to service," echoing the Queen's 2010 visit theme, "Honouring the Canadian Record of Service-Past, Present and Future," and illustrating the Governor General's role in exemplifying Canadian values of service to community and country.

Johnston's swearing-in ceremony took place on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, on October 1, 2010. At his request, the ceremony included a meeting between Johnston and his wife and 143 Canadians (one for each year since Canadian Confederation), particularly members of the Canadian Forces and young people. They also collected 26 red and white roses from 13 individuals, representing each of Canada's 10 provinces and 3 territories. On their return coach ride from Parliament Hill to Rideau Hall, the viceregal couple stopped to lay the bouquet at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

4.2. Major activities and initiatives

One of Johnston's initial duties as Governor General was the rare task of revoking the commissioning scrolls of an officer of Her Majesty's Canadian Forces. On October 22, 2010, at the direction of the Chief of the Defence Staff, he stripped the recently convicted murderer and rapist Russell Williams of his rank of colonel and released him from duty due to "service misconduct."

On November 4, 2010, Johnston made his first visit to Afghanistan to meet with Canadian troops serving there and the Afghan forces they were training. He continued similar visits to Afghanistan throughout his tenure, including a Christmas spent with Canadian Forces personnel at Camp Alamo and Camp Black Horse, and met with military members in other overseas locations.

Johnston undertook his first state visits in February and March 2011, traveling to Kuwait (to attend its 50th Independence Day and celebrate the fifth anniversary of the accession of Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah) and Qatar. In April of the same year, he attended the wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine Middleton and the subsequent reception at Buckingham Palace. In late June, he hosted the royal couple during their tour of Canada.

A speech Johnston delivered on August 14, 2011, to the Canadian Bar Association's annual meeting in Halifax, Nova Scotia, garnered media attention for its criticism of the legal profession. The Governor General lamented unnecessary and deliberate legal delays across Canada, the role of unscrupulous American lawyers in the 2007-2008 financial crisis, and stated that the profession was losing public trust. These comments were noted as unusually controversial for a viceroy, but Johnston's colleagues and The Globe and Mail editorial board found his words unsurprising and welcome.

In line with his focus on education, Johnston regularly visited universities across Canada, attending conferences, delivering lectures, and speaking at convocations. He also carried this theme into his state and official visits to foreign countries, including tours of early education facilities, addresses at universities and colleges, and meetings with economic and social development groups and education ministers. He was often accompanied by Canadian university and college presidents on these international trips.

Johnston was credited with encouraging Prime Minister Harper to revitalize the federal government's promotion of international educational cooperation. At Harper's advice, Johnston led an Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada delegation to Brazil in 2012 for a hemispheric conference on international education, with the goal of encouraging more Brazilians to choose Canada for research and study.

As part of his efforts to promote education and research, Johnston annually hosted the Killiam Award Symposium at Rideau Hall starting in 2012. In late 2013, he established the Rideau Hall Foundation, a charitable organization intended to assist the viceroy in connecting and honoring Canadians, enhancing Canadian identity, and fostering excellence through partnerships. Johnston then launched the My Giving Moment campaign through the foundation, encouraging Canadians to volunteer their time or donate money. He was supported in this launch by George Stroumboulopoulos, who interviewed the Governor General on his show George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight. Johnston stated near the end of his tenure that he would continue as chairman of the Rideau Hall Foundation after his successor took office.

In late 2016, the Governor General hosted a conference on concussions, declaring head injuries in sports a "public health issue," and criticized the NHL's stance on fighting in hockey. This followed his earlier remarks in 2012 to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that hockey should be made safer by redesigning hard-plastic equipment, eliminating head shots and high-sticking, and removing fighting, which he believed was "eroding the game." He called for the NHL to hold a summit on fighting and concussions. Although discussions with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioners for a two-day conference involving medical experts and hockey figures initially took place, the group became too large. Johnston subsequently shifted his focus to the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada and raising awareness among parents.

On March 19, 2013, Johnston led the official Canadian delegation for the papal inauguration of Pope Francis. On November 1, 2013, he hosted Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, at the 50th anniversary of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award royal gala at Rideau Hall.

Johnston accepted an invitation in March 2015 to extend his term as Governor General until September 2017. This extension was considered desirable to ensure an experienced viceroy was in place, particularly given the potential for a minority government or an inconclusive outcome in the 2015 Canadian federal election. By the end of his tenure, Johnston became the longest-serving Governor General since Georges Vanier. His extended term also allowed him to remain in office for the Canada 150 celebrations.

As part of his viceregal duties, Johnston undertook two state visits to China, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The first visit, in October 2013, occurred shortly after Xi became president and coincided with visits by Canadian cabinet ministers, aiming to improve relations and promote Canada's economic agenda. During this trip, Johnston also met with other Chinese officials, including Premier Li Keqiang, to discuss strengthening educational and cultural ties between the two countries. The second visit, in July 2017, was a goodwill mission preceding exploratory trade talks. This second trip drew criticism from journalists because it coincided with the death of Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo in custody. Johnston later stated to CTV News that he had discussed Liu's case and human rights issues with Xi during the visit.

Throughout his term as Governor General, Johnston hosted over 600 events at either Rideau Hall or La Citadelle and attended 330 military events as commander-in-chief. Within Canada, he visited more than 130 communities. As part of Canada's international relations, he led over 50 international visits, making him the most traveled Governor General in Canadian history. Conversely, he hosted approximately five dozen foreign dignitaries on state and working visits to Canada. The Governor General delivered over 1,400 speeches and awarded tens of thousands of honours, medals, and special commemorations. He also welcomed 1.5 M Canadians to Rideau Hall and the Citadel.

4.3. Key events and social issues

On Accession Day, February 6, 2012, Johnston participated in events launching Diamond Jubilee Week, marking the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II to the Canadian throne. He subsequently participated in related commemorations, parties, and monument unveilings across the country throughout the year, as well as during a working visit to the Commonwealth realm of Barbados between visits to Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago. Johnston later hosted Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, during their tour of parts of Canada for the jubilee celebration. In June, he traveled to London, UK, to participate in various jubilee events, and returned to London between July 25 and 30 to attend the 2012 Summer Olympics.

In January 2012, the Governor General opened the Crown-First Nations summit in Ottawa and hosted a meeting with First Nations youth leaders at Rideau Hall. By the end of the year, amid the First Nations' Idle No More movement, national attention turned partly to Johnston after Chief Theresa Spence of the Attawapiskat First Nation began a protest, described as a "hunger strike," against certain federal government actions related to First Nations. She publicly vowed to continue until both Prime Minister Harper and the Governor General met with her. The Assembly of First Nations also issued an open letter to the Governor General on December 16, calling for a meeting to discuss Spence's demands. A meeting between the Prime Minister, other Cabinet ministers, First Nations chiefs, and representatives of the Assembly of First Nations took place on January 11, 2013. However, Johnston declined to attend, stating it was "not appropriate" for the representative of a constitutional monarch to publicly participate in discussions on government policy. This, among other factors, led Spence and other chiefs to boycott the Prime Minister's conference, though she did attend the meeting and ceremony for First Nations chiefs that Johnston hosted at Rideau Hall the same evening. Spence declared afterward that she was not satisfied with the gathering's content and vowed to continue her protest, communicating directly with the Governor General via letter. Spence ended her protest on January 24, 2013, although the demand for a joint meeting of First Nations chiefs, Cabinet ministers, and the Governor General remained in a declaration signed by Spence and two leaders in Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition.

The bicentennial of the commencement of the War of 1812 was also marked by various official events attended by the Governor General. During the royal tour, Johnston and Prince Charles were present at a military event at Fort York in Toronto on May 22. Johnston was also in the Niagara-on-the-Lake region on June 16 for events at Queenston Heights, the Laura Secord homestead, and Fort George, to "launch 1,000 days of commemorations." A War of 1812 National Recognition Ceremony was held at Rideau Hall on October 25, 2012, where the Governor General presented special medals and a banner to leaders of First Nations and Métis communities with historical ties to the War of 1812.

The Governor General served as an honorary witness in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. When the commission's work concluded in December 2015, Johnston presided over a closing ceremony at Rideau Hall, book-ending the commission's work which began with his predecessor. He called for expanded education about the residential school system, stating, "this is a moment for national reflection and introspection... to think about the depth of our commitment to tolerance, respect and inclusiveness, and whether we can do better. This is a moment to think about those people - those children, those mothers and fathers, those families and those elders, past and present. And it's also a moment to ask: where do we go from here?"

Columnist John Robson noted Johnston's "manifest sympathy for aboriginal causes." However, the Governor General faced criticism on social media for a comment he made in an interview on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's radio show The House on June 17, 2017. He stated that "we're a country based on immigration, going right back to our, quote, Indigenous people, unquote, who were immigrants as well, 10, 12, 14,000 years ago," referring to the migration of humans across Beringia. Johnston later explained that he misspoke and apologized for his statement during a ceremony at Rideau Hall to honor leadership on Indigenous issues.

4.4. Legacy as Governor General

On September 27, 2017, in the week of his departure from office, Johnston presided over a military farewell ceremony and military parade by a 100-man guard of honour from the Canadian Armed Forces at the Aviation and Space Museum. At the ceremony, he stated, "serving as governor general is a responsibility I have cherished for the past seven years. I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to give back to this country I love so much." A few days prior, Prime Minister Trudeau described Johnston as a family friend and "a man of strength, intelligence and compassion."

The Government of Canada pledged to donate 3.00 M CAD, and up to 7.00 M CAD in matching funds over 10 years, to the Rideau Hall Foundation, the charity Johnston founded. He stated that the foundation's goal "is to gather, align and mobilize ideas, people and resources to move the Canadian spirit and our shared aspirations forward."

In 2018, U Sports renamed the U Sports University Cup to the David Johnston University Cup in his honor.

5.1. Special Rapporteur on foreign government interference

Johnston's appointment as special rapporteur on foreign interference was met with mixed reactions. Critics, including opposition politicians and journalists, voiced disapproval, primarily focusing on Johnston's relationship with the Trudeau family, his membership in the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, and the state visits he made to China as Governor General. These concerns suggested a potential conflict of interest and raised questions about his impartiality. Conversely, supporters, citing his experience as a legal scholar and dean of law, and the trust placed in him by former Prime Minister Harper during a period of parliamentary instability, approved of his appointment. Johnston himself stated that he felt "privileged" to have been appointed and described attempts to undermine Canada's democracy as "serious matters."

In a report published in May 2023, Johnston argued that a public inquiry into foreign interference would be of little use due to the highly confidential nature of much of the information involved. This opinion drew sharp criticism. Following a parliamentary motion on May 29, which passed 174-150 and called for Johnston to step down from his role, he tendered his resignation on June 9, 2023.

8.1. Honorary military appointments

• October 1, 2010 - October 2, 2017: Colonel of the Governor General's Horse Guards
• October 1, 2010 - October 2, 2017: Colonel of the Governor General's Foot Guards
• October 1, 2010 - October 2, 2017: Colonel of the Canadian Grenadier Guards
• August 4, 2018 -: Colonel of The Regiment, The Royal Canadian Regiment

8.2. Honorary degrees

• 1980: Law Society of Upper Canada, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• June 1985: University of Toronto, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• 1986: Bishop's University, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• September 30, 1986: Memorial University of Newfoundland, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• 1987: Montreal Diocesan Theological College, Doctor of Divinity (DD)
• 1989: University of British Columbia, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• 1991: Queen's University, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• June 8, 1991: University of Western Ontario, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• 1992: Université de Montréal, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• 1993: Algoma University, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• August 1994: University of Victoria, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• November 9, 2000: McGill University, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• November 2008: McMaster University, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• October 23, 2010: University of Waterloo, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• June 12, 2011: University of Ottawa, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• September 1, 2011: Mount Allison University, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• October 18, 2011: University of Manitoba, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• April 11, 2012: Nanjing University, doctorate
• June 18, 2012: Algonquin College, degree (Bachelor of Applied Studies)
• November 13, 2012: University of Calgary, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• May 9, 2013: Huron University College, Doctor of Divinity (DD)
• February 24, 2014: National Law University, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• May 12, 2014: Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto, Doctor of Sacred Letters (DSL)
• May 15, 2014: University of King's College, Doctor of Civil Law (DCL)
• January 29, 2015: Vancouver Island University, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• May 14, 2015: Royal Military College of Canada, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• November 3, 2016: Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
• June 6, 2017: University of Alberta, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• June 22, 2017: York University, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• June 1, 2018: Ryerson University, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
• Spring 2019: Mount Royal University, Doctor of Laws (LL.D)
• June 23, 2021: University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Doctor of Laws (LL.D)

8.3. Other honours

• 2000: Renison University College, Honorary Senior Fellow

8.4. Honorific eponyms

Awards

• David Johnston International Experience Awards
• David Johnston University Cup

Geographic locations

• David Johnston Research and Technology Park, University of Waterloo, Waterloo

8.5. Arms

Just prior to his installation as Governor General, Johnston was granted a personal coat of arms. The interlaced pattern on the shield symbolizes the central role of family and other relationships in his life, as well as his interest in communication networks and his belief in the interconnectedness of knowledge; it also touches on the importance he places on order and organization. The crown is the traditional symbol of the Governor General, while the books refer to knowledge, education, and the law. The five books in the crest represent Johnston's five daughters, and the candle signifies enlightenment and the transmission of knowledge. The overall design and colors of the shield are inspired by various Scottish Johnston arms.

The two unicorns supporting the shield symbolize dreams, imagination, purity, and faithfulness, with their color representing Canada. The astrolabe on each unicorn's shoulder references intellectual exploration and the rich history of Canadian explorers, dating back to Jacques Cartier. Their winged feet are traditionally attributed to Hermes and allude to communication (also reflected in the zeros and ones on the base, specifically referring to digital media), as well as evoking fitness and sports. The binary code further reflects the flow of information in modern society.

Johnston's motto, Contemplare Meliora (Latin for "To envisage better things"), is an allusion to a line in George Bernard Shaw's Back to Methuselah: "You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, 'Why not?'"

8.6. College awards and honours