The Pierre-Elliott Trudeau Foundation announces that it has reimbursed the $200,000 donation it allegedly received in 2016 from a Chinese Communist Party official.
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“As an independent, non-partisan charity, ethics and integrity are among our most important values and we cannot keep any donation that has been sponsored by a foreign government, which we would not accept in knowingly, explains the president of the foundation, Pascale Fournier, in a press release. In light of recent allegations, the Foundation has refunded the full amount received.”
This announcement comes as all opposition parties in Ottawa are calling for a public and independent inquiry into the issue of Chinese interference.
For his part, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau maintains that there are enough public processes that already make it possible to address the issue.
A report was released Tuesday by a group of senior officials that states the 2021 election would have gone ahead without foreign interference serious enough to warrant alerting the Canadian public.
“National security agencies noted attempted foreign interference in 2019 and 2021, but not enough to meet the criteria that the integrity of the election was compromised,” the 54-year document reads. pages.
On Tuesday, the “Globe & Mail” argued, with the help of an unidentified source within the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), that the $200,000 donation was part of an influence strategy into Canadian politics by the Chinese Communist Party.
At the heart of the scheme is said to be “billionaire” Zhang Bin, whom the “Globe & Mail” describes as “a political adviser to the Beijing government and a senior figure in the network of Chinese state promoters around the world”.
Mr. Bin was reportedly persuaded to donate $200,000 to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, in addition to $750,000 in contributions for the University of Montreal law school and $50,000 for a statue of the former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
These donations, totaling $1 million, were reportedly made with the contribution of another wealthy businessman, Niu Gensheng.
These revelations come as the Trudeau government weathers a storm over Chinese interference in the 2019 and 2021 elections.
The opposition parties in the House of Commons are all calling for the establishment of a public and independent commission of inquiry, but Justin Trudeau assures that enough action is being taken at present to fight against attempts to interference.