Trudeau Foundation board chair slams ‘unjust attacks’ after interference allegation

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OTTAWA Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation board chairman says organization has come under ‘unwarranted and unfair attack’ over allegations it received donation as part of campaign foreign influence led by China.

OTTAWA Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation board chairman says organization has come under ‘unwarranted and unfair attack’ over allegations it received donation as part of campaign foreign influence led by China.

Edward Johnson was before a parliamentary committee investigating the circumstances surrounding two donations in 2016 and 2017 from Chinese billionaire Zhang Bin and another Chinese businessman, Niu Gensheng, which amounted to $140,000.

The donations were made in tandem with a $750,000 contribution to the University of Montreal.

The Globe and Mail reported in February, citing an unnamed source, that Beijing had told donors to offer the money in hopes of swaying new Liberal leader Justin Trudeau.

But Johnson told members of parliament that the foundation had never had the opportunity to participate in attempted foreign interference by China, and he questioned accusations that the money had been paid to gain political influence.

“I have not seen any evidence that would support this and based on the evidence that is in the public domain, I am very skeptical of the motive for this donation,” Johnson said, adding that one of the donors had already done so. a donation to other universities. .

He said he was not involved in signing the check to the foundation and had no knowledge of it.

The prime minister’s brother told the committee last week that the Trudeau Foundation was not part of any attempted foreign interference by China.

Alexandre Trudeau, who has been involved with the foundation since its inception and served as its executive director until 2020, said donations from Chinese businessmen were negotiated before his brother became prime minister. He defended his signature on the check used to make the donation, saying it was appropriate because the gift was meant to honor his father.

The Prime Minister has repeatedly said that it has been around a decade since he was involved with the foundation.

Johnson said when the newspaper raised concerns about the donations, the Trudeau Foundation attempted to refund the money and he sought to have the matter independently reviewed.

“Based on that allegation, whether it was true or not, I was of the opinion that we should repay,” he said.

He was unable to say to whom the check was refunded or how it was done, but undertook to provide this information to the committee.

The foundation’s former CEO and other board members resigned on April 11, citing the politicization of donations as the reason for their departure.

Pascale Fournier, the former CEO of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, previously told the parliamentary committee that she had resigned from the post earlier due to a breakdown in trust within the organisation’s board of directors.

Fournier said tensions arose after she pushed for an independent forensic audit of donations made by Chinese businessmen and was rebuffed when she insisted that some board members administration recuse themselves from any such investigation.

Johnson said he could not say the specific reasons the board members resigned and said it was unusual, but caused in part by the national attention on the foundation creating pressure on the members.

He was unable to provide information on Fournier’s testimony that she discovered that the Cultural Industry Association of China, a group associated with Beijing, was communicating with foundation employees about omission of information on a donation tax receipt.

The China Cultural Industry Association’s website says it adheres to the “total leadership” of the Communist Party of China and was formed with state approval. It appoints Zhang Bin as its chairman.

The Globe and Mail reported that another company was listed as the donor on the receipt. It indicates that Millennium Golden Eagle International (Canada) was listed as a donor, which also lists Zhang as president. This company, according to the China Cultural Industry Association, is one of its board members and was established with the approval of the Chinese Ministry of Culture.

After Fournier’s resignation, Johnson asked the federal auditor general to review the donations, but the request was denied because private donations and business transactions fall outside his mandate.

– With files from Mickey Djuric

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on May 9, 2023.

David Fraser, The Canadian Press

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