Donald James Johnston, PC, OC, QC (June 26, 1936 – February 4, 2022) was a Canadian lawyer, writer and politician who was Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) from 1996 to 2006.

From 1978 to 1988, Johnston was a Liberal Party member of the Canadian parliament and served in the cabinets of prime ministers Pierre Trudeau and John Turner.

[1] His father held multiple jobs, including serving as a flying officer during World War I and as a surveyor in Canada's north and in Alaska, before returning to Montreal to work as an athletics facilities supervisor at McGill University.

[1] Johnston's work at this stage focused on taxation strategies, including the creation of tax shelters, serving as a key enabler for the Canadian film industry.

[1] Johnston served as Minister of Justice and Attorney General in the short-lived Turner government until its defeat in the 1984 federal election.

[1] In opposition, Johnston and Turner split over the issue of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and the Meech Lake Accord:[1] in an attempt to boost his poll numbers and that of the divided Liberal caucus on those issues, Turner came out as outspoken opponent of free trade agreement and claimed that overturning what he labeled a sellout of the Canadian public to US interests was his life's work.

[1][additional citation(s) needed] In 1994, the government of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien proposed Johnston for the position of secretary-general of the OECD.

[1] During his administration, the OECD represented 30 of the most advanced national economies and expanded its engagement to more than 70 non-members, with special country programs for Russia, China, Brazil and India.While the OECD is a forum for macroeconomic policy issues, it also deals with virtually all underlying structural issues including financial markets, trade and investment, taxation and corporate governance.

OECD recommendations in these areas have been critical in enabling countries to structurally adapt to the challenges of globalization while maximizing its benefits to their economies.

[4][5] In recognition of his accomplishments at the OECD, Johnston was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun,[1] the second most prestigious Japanese decoration and the highest one that can be bestowed on a non-Japanese citizen.