The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation says it has repaid a $200,000 donation made in 2016 by a successful Beijing businessman and political adviser who was allegedly promised reimbursement by the Chinese Communist Party.
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“As an independent charity with no political affiliation, ethics and integrity are part of our core values and we cannot keep any donation that may have been sponsored by a foreign government without our knowledge,” said explained the President and CEO of the Foundation, Pascale Fournier.
“In light of these recent allegations, the Foundation has refunded the full amount of the donation received directly to the donor,” continued Ms. Fournier in a statement released Wednesday afternoon.
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.