He also helped develop a new federal equalization plan and improve the national grant system for universities, and also administered a major review Canada’s social security system.
Johnson joined Saskatchewan’s civil service in 1946, four years after earning a B.A. at the U of S, and provided stellar service for 18 years before heading to Ottawa to become the deputy minister of finance responsible for federal-provincial fiscal relations.
He went on to serve as president of the CBC, striving to increase the quality and quantity of Canadian programming. In the 1990s he was in South Africa to oversee a major governance program that established a multi-racial democracy under Nelson Mandela.
The Johnson-Shoyama School of Public Policy that carries his name is a testament to his efforts to use the apparatus of government to share with all citizens the benefits of living in a wealthy democratic society.