“In light of these recent allegations, the Foundation has refunded to the donor all amounts received with respect to the donation pledge,” said Trudeau Foundation President & CEO Pascale Fournier.
As the China election interference scandal continues to grow, the Trudeau Foundation is attempting to distance itself from perceived connections to the Chinese Communist government.
The Foundation has issued an official statement, pledging to refund all donor amounts associated with a 2016 pledge for $200,000 that had a “potential connection” with the “Chinese government”:
The statement – issued by Trudeau Foundation President & CEO Pascale Fournier – can be read below:
“The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation has learned in recent days through the media that there was a potential connection between the Chinese government and a 2016 pledge of $200,000 to be received by the Foundation.
As an independent, non-partisan charity, ethics and integrity are among our core values and we cannot keep any donation that may have been sponsored by a foreign government and would not knowingly do so.
In light of these recent allegations, the Foundation has refunded to the donor all amounts received with respect to the donation pledge.”
The move comes after the Globe & Mail reported that donors connected to the Chinese Communist Party had contributed $1 million to the Trudeau Foundation and the University of Montreal, and wanted statues of both Pierre Elliot Trudeau and Mao Zedong – the Communist dictator whose policies led to the deaths of tens of millions of innocent people.
As the China-influence scandal continues to grow, it would appear the Trudeau Foundation is attempting to distance itself from the controversy. That will likely be difficult however, as a Prime Minister named Trudeau is currently the biggest barrier to a full inquiry into how deep and widespread China’s influence operations are in this country.
Spencer Fernando
Photo – YouTube
