Trudeau Foundation Victim of ‘Unfair Attacks’ Over ‘Chinese-Canadian’ Donation, Says Chair

Chair of the board of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Edward Johnson appears as a witness at a standing committee on access to information, privacy and ethics on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 9, 2023. The committee is looking into foreign interference. Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press

The man who is steering the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation after most of its leadership resigned over the handling of a Chinese regime-linked donation says his organization is facing “unwarranted” criticism and that it wasn’t targeted by a foreign influence scheme.

Chair of the board Edward Johnson said the controversy surrounding the “Chinese-Canadian” donation had put “severe pressure” on the foundation at its busiest time of the year.

“The consequences are well known. Let me add that the foundation has been subjected to unwarranted and unfair attacks,” he said while testifying before the House of Commons ethics committee on May 9.

Johnson and two other members of the foundation, all Trudeau family friends, remained as the charity’s leadership while others resigned in mid-April.

At issue is a donation of $140,000 to the foundation by businessmen Zhang Bin and Niu Gensheng, who are linked to the Chinese regime.

The Globe and Mail reported on Feb. 28 that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) had intercepted a conversation in 2014 between Zhang and a Chinese diplomat in Canada.

They reportedly discussed the probability that Justin Trudeau’s Liberals would win the next election and the diplomat told Zhang to donate $1 million to the Trudeau Foundation, which Beijing would reimburse.

The discrepancy in the dollar figures has been highlighted by Trudeau Foundation members to cast doubt on the validity of the reporting.

Alexandre Trudeau, the prime minister’s brother, noted the issue during his testimony before a committee on May 3. “Journalism on the basis of one single anonymous source [is] poor journalism,” he said.

Johnson said for his part that “we were never offered $1 million and we never received any red flags from CSIS.”

The $1 million was instead originally meant to be split between the Université de Montréal’s faculty of law, where Pierre Elliott Trudeau studied and taught, and the Trudeau Foundation. The deal was made in 2014 and the signing ceremony occurred in 2016.

The donation was to honour Pierre Trudeau for opening relations with communist China. The same donors had provided the University of Toronto $800,000 in 2013 to honour Canadian communist doctor Norman Bethune, who served in Mao Zedong’s army.

‘Chinese-Canadian’

Johnson called the donation “Chinese-Canadian,” since the donors used a corporation registered in Canada, but everything else about it is Chinese, with strong links to Beijing.

Both Zhang Bin and Niu Gensheng are affiliated with the China Cultural Industry Association (CCIA), an organization that takes its marching orders from the communist regime. Zhang is also an adviser to the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

The company that officially made the donation to the Trudeau Foundation, Millennium Golden Eagle, is owned by Zhang Bin, and its Chinese equivalent is also affiliated with the CCIA.

Johnson was asked if he knew who the donor was and if the donation had been returned as previously announced by the foundation.

Johnson wasn’t able to say who the donor is but said the money has been returned.

“Is that donor in Canada? Is that donor in Beijing? Is it the China Cultural Industry Association? Is it the Millennium Golden Eagle International Canada Inc? You use some very specific language in your opening statement in which you referred to a donation coming from a Chinese-Canadian entity. What are you referring to there?” asked Conservative MP Michael Cooper.

Johnson said he was basing his answer on information provided to the committee by former foundation CEO Morris Rosenberg, and from the foundation’s counsel and his colleagues on the board.

Testifying before the ethics committee on May 2, Rosenberg said the donation was not of foreign origin since the receipt had been sent to Millennium Golden Eagle’s address in Dorval, Quebec.

Rosenberg was challenged by Conservative MP Luc Berthold, who apparently had a receipt on hand listing an address in Hong Kong.

Foreign Influence

Rosenberg and Alexandre Trudeau have told the committee previously that the donation had not raised alarm bells at the time. Johnson also said that there had never been any opportunity for a foreign influence operation.

“To my knowledge, I didn’t see any influence on the foundation,” he said.

Berthold challenged him on that assertion: “Do you understand that the Beijing regime would have no reason to influence the organization but rather the Trudeau government?”

“I can’t comment on that,” replied Johnson.

But Johnson did recognize that if some of the information reported by the Globe is correct, then there could have been an attempt to interfere.

“If the facts as alleged, or the allegations as alleged were correct, then there would be an arguable case that it was an attempt at influence, if they are correct,” he said.

Both Zhang Bin and Niu Gensheng obtained face time with the prime minister after the donation deal had been made. Zhang met with Trudeau at a cash-for-access Liberal Party fundraiser in May 2016 and Niu met with the prime minister in October 2016 in Meech Lake, Quebec, being a participant in a delegation of the China Entrepreneur Club.

The Trudeau Foundation was set up by Parliament in the early 2000s and provided with a $125 million endowment. It provides scholarship and mentorship programs, and it has a duty to report to the Minister of Innovation, which can appoint up to eight leadership members.