[1] A teacher and social worker from Toronto, Johnston served for six years as leader of the National Anti-Poverty Organization.
Originally a member of the New Democratic Party, he joined the Liberals in 1984 after charging the NDP with lacking a coherent economic policy.
Despite strong support from the party establishment, he lost the Liberal nomination in Scarborough West to a little-known Toronto lawyer named Tom Wappel, 523 votes to 372.
[7] In 1994, Johnston chaired a task-force convened by cabinet minister Lloyd Axworthy on reforms to Canada's welfare state.
He serves as volunteer on a number of non-profit boards and advisory committees, including Canada Helps, the Ontario Nonprofit Network and the Canadian Centre for International Justice.