(Ottawa) The Bloc Québécois is asking the Auditor General of Canada to diligently investigate the recent revelations concerning the Pierre-Elliott Trudeau Foundation.
The charity received a $200,000 donation in 2016 from Zhang Bin, a political adviser to the government of China, and Niu Gensheng, a Chinese philanthropist. When the matter first became public a few weeks ago, the Foundation, which describes itself as an independent, nonpartisan scholarship organization, announced that it was refunding the donation.
The CEO, Pascale Fournier, had explained that the Foundation could not keep a donation that could have been sponsored by a foreign government.
The Globe and Mail alleged that the donation was linked to a Chinese government plot to influence Justin Trudeau after he became leader of the Liberal Party of Canada (LPC).
This week, news outlets reported that the donation had not been refunded. Last Tuesday, Pascale Fournier and most of the members of the Board of Directors of the Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau Foundation announced their resignation en bloc, citing the political climate surrounding their work in recent months.
In a letter sent to the Auditor General of Canada, Karen Hogan, the leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, reminds her that not only has the reimbursement not taken place, but that the signatory of the original check is not the true donor.
Mr. Blanchet finds these revelations extremely concerning. In his opinion, the allegations of foreign interference raise fears and affect public confidence in Canadian institutions.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he had no formal or informal association with the foundation that bears his father’s name after his election as party leader.
The Prime Minister recently appointed former Governor General David Johnston as a “special rapporteur” to investigate foreign interference. Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre recalled that Mr. Johnston was a member of the Pierre-Elliott Trudeau Foundation.
The massive resignations at the foundation give the prime minister an additional reason to revoke the mandate granted to David Johnston, according to Yves-François Blanchet.
