Edward Johnson, board chair of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, said the organization has been experiencing “unwarranted and unfair attacks" over Chinese donations, which were allegedly given to indirectly influence Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.. Justin TrudeauPrime Minister Justin Trudeau .Johnson appeared before a parliamentary committee to discuss two donations made in 2016 and 2017 by Chinese billionaire Zhang Bin and businessman Niu Gensheng..The donations amounted to $140,000 and were made at the same time as a $750,000 contribution to the Université de Montréal..In February, The Globe and Mail ran a report with information from an unnamed source that Beijing instructed the donors to make the donations to influence the newly elected Liberal leader Justin Trudeau..During his appearance before the committee, Johnson refuted any possibility of the foundation being involved in any foreign interference attempts by China..Johnson doubted the donations were made to gain political influence..“I have seen no evidence that would support that and based on the evidence that's in the public domain, I'm very skeptical of that being the motive behind this donation,” said Johnson..Johnson said he did not know about the cheque given to the Foundation and was not involved in the process..The prime minister's brother Alexandre Trudeau also spoke to the committee and said the foundation had nothing to do with China's attempts to interfere in Canadian politics..Trudeau has been a part of the foundation since its early days and up until 2020 as an executive director..Trudeau explained the donations from the Chinese businessmen were arranged before his brother became the prime minister and defended his signature on the cheque used for the donation. It was “appropriate” as the gift honoured his father..The prime minister said multiple times he had not been involved with the foundation for about a decade..Johnson said when The Globe and Mail raised concerns about the donations, the Trudeau Foundation attempted to return the money. He also sought an independent review of the donation..“On the basis of that allegation, whether or not it was true, it was my position that we must repay,” said Johnson..Johnson could not provide information on who the cheque was repaid to or how it was done. However, he committed to providing this information to the committee..On April 11, the former CEO of the foundation and other board members resigned and blamed the donations' politicization as their reason for leaving..Pascale Fournier, the former CEO of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, already told the committee she resigned due to a lack of trust among the organization's board of directors..According to Fournier, the trust issues happened when she suggested an independent forensic audit of the donations made by Chinese businessmen..She encountered opposition when she requested certain board members excuse themselves from the investigation..Johnson told the committee he could not provide specific reasons for the board members' resignations. He suggested it was partly due to the national attention on the foundation, which pressured the members. He also acknowledged the resignations were unusual..Johnson could not provide details about Fournier's testimony, which stated she discovered the China Cultural Industry Association (CCIA), an organization linked to Beijing, was communicating with foundation employees about leaving out information on a donation tax receipt..The CCIA's website states it follows the “total leadership” of the Chinese Communist Party and was established with state approval. Zhang Bin is listed as the president of the association..According to The Globe and Mail, Millennium Golden Eagle International (Canada) was listed as the donor on the receipt instead of the original company..Zhang is listed as the chairman of this company and on the CCIA executive board..The CCIA confirmed the company was created with the approval of China's Culture Ministry..When Fournier resigned, Johnson requested the federal auditor general investigate the donations..However, the request was denied because the auditor general's mandate does not cover private donations or business transactions.
