The prime minister’s brother, Alexandre Trudeau, testified at a Commons Ethics committee hearing Canadians “need to recognize certain accomplishments” of the Chinese Communist Party.. Alexandre Trudeau and Justin Trudeau .“I am a reader of Confucius,” said Trudeau..“We need to recognize certain accomplishments of that regime,” said Trudeau..“We need to compare China to China, not China to France or to Canada.”.“Do I believe the Chinese government made considerable economic achievements? I do,” said Trudeau..“I think one has to state in a positive sense the organizing principles of the Chinese Communist Party have made a significant economic impact on the country.”.Trudeau said he visited China “once or twice a year for about 10 years” ending with his brother’s election as prime minister in 2015..“I like to travel in China and observe things that are not easily seen,” said Trudeau..“What is your political viewpoint about China now?” asked Bloc Québécois MP René Villemure (Trois-Rivière, QC). .“I think President Xi’s government is a problem for their country and the world,” replied Trudeau..“They are in transition.”.Trudeau acknowledged that in 2016, as an executive director of the Trudeau Foundation, he signed a contract for a $140,000 donation from a Beijing group affiliated with the Communist Party..However, he dismissed his role as insignificant..“I barely heard about the Chinese donation until it was time to sign it,” said Trudeau..“I have no reason to believe their motives were not honourable. The idea that there was a set-up here, I just think is patently false.”.“Frankly, this is a waste of time because there is not a foreign interference issue here at the Foundation,” said Trudeau..“I know the documentary record will make that clear.”.Evidence shows the donation was brokered by a Chinese billionaire and receipted to Millennium Golden Eagle International of Beijing..According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the company is a state-licensed media production company for China Central Television..“Did you know with whom you were dealing?” asked New Democrat MP Matthew Green (Hamilton Centre, ON). .“Yes, absolutely,” replied Trudeau..“You know the regime tries to interfere with Western democracies?” asked Conservative MP Luc Berthold (Mégantic-L’Érable, QC). .“I can’t speak for my brother, but for the Foundation, I never thought there was any interference,” replied Trudeau..“At that time, I was not hiding that it was important that Canadian universities participate in academic diplomacy,” said Trudeau..“I thought it was essential Canada participate in China’s education, if I can put it that way, to show Chinese researchers and the Chinese people how things are done in Canada.”.The Trudeau Foundation, in its public reporting, omitted all reference to the Chinese-headquartered company. Trudeau had no explanation..“People were donating to the foundation with the intention of currying favour with the prime minister as a result,” said Conservative MP Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan, AB).
