Evidence of meeting #69 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was foundation.
A video is available from Parliament.
6:10 p.m.
Conservative
Larry Brock Conservative Brantford—Brant, ON
That answer is yes. Thank you, Mr. Trudeau.
You didn't question the tax receipts being sent, ultimately, to China, did you?
6:10 p.m.
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
I explained that tax receipts being sent to China, because the donor was a Chinese citizen, raised no confusion or red flags at any level.
6:10 p.m.
Conservative
Larry Brock Conservative Brantford—Brant, ON
In fact, you said—and I'll quote your words—that Millennium Golden Eagle International was a legitimate business operating in Canada.
However, if you had exercised your due diligence, which you claim that you did and the board did and your organization did, you would have realized that the corporate address for this multinational corporation was in the Montreal suburb of Dorval. It was a mansion of probably 4,000 to 5,000 square feet. It was a very large home with a pool and a basketball court.
Were you aware of that?
6:15 p.m.
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
I would challenge your understanding of the corporate world in Canada. The corporate address of my phone company is an art deco home on Pine Avenue.
6:15 p.m.
Conservative
6:15 p.m.
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
I was made aware of that, and there's nothing there.
6:15 p.m.
Conservative
Larry Brock Conservative Brantford—Brant, ON
Thank you.
Were you further aware that the address of this company listed in Hong Kong, where the original receipt went to, actually doesn't exist? A reporter from The Globe and Mail who went to Hong Kong went to the address, trying to make some inquiries about the operators of this company, and the person who answered the door had no idea.
Were you aware of that, sir?
6:15 p.m.
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
No, I wasn't aware. I know that corporate addresses are fairly irrelevant, frankly, for the nature of ownership and for the nature of taxes.
6:15 p.m.
Conservative
Larry Brock Conservative Brantford—Brant, ON
Thank you. Everything is irrelevant. I get it.
You didn't question the urgency of providing the donation around major political events for your brother, the Prime Minister, did you?
6:15 p.m.
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
Sorry; could you repeat the question?
6:15 p.m.
Conservative
Larry Brock Conservative Brantford—Brant, ON
You did not question the urgency of providing the donation around major political events for your brother.
6:15 p.m.
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
No, because there was an urgency long before my brother was in politics.
6:15 p.m.
Conservative
Larry Brock Conservative Brantford—Brant, ON
You never questioned the intention of the wealthy billionaires linked directly to the Communist regime who were highly interested in the scholarship of the Trudeau foundation. You did not question that.
6:15 p.m.
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
They were not interested in the scholarship of the Trudeau foundation. It became a condition to their work at Université de Montréal.
6:15 p.m.
Conservative
Larry Brock Conservative Brantford—Brant, ON
You said you expressed some concerns about the Globe's story. You talked about it being simply intelligence.
My background is as a Crown attorney. I rely upon evidence when I present a case. The evidence we have here, from an unnamed source at Canada's spy agency, is that there's actually a taped conversation between Mr. Zhang, the philanthropist whom you claim is simply a legitimate businessman, and an unnamed commercial attaché at one of China's consulates in Canada, in which they discuss the possibility of your brother defeating Stephen Harper's Conservatives and forming the government. Furthermore, and more damaging, are instructions that Beijing would reimburse him for the entire amount of the donation to the Trudeau foundation.
You dismissed that as simply what—hearsay?
6:15 p.m.
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
The facts are wrong. There was never any question of a million-dollar donation to the Trudeau foundation.
6:15 p.m.
Conservative
6:15 p.m.
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
But the report in The Globe and Mail says a million dollars, so when the facts are wrong.... You haven't seen the evidence, and I won't, so I will reserve judgment.
6:15 p.m.
Conservative
Larry Brock Conservative Brantford—Brant, ON
Do you think the consulate that interfered with the family of a sitting Conservative member in this Parliament and threatened that member should be expelled immediately?
6:15 p.m.
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
I am not aware of the facts of all that, so I'm not going to pronounce on that question.
6:15 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Brassard
Thank you, Mr. Brock.
Ms. Saks, you're up next for five minutes.
Just to advise the committee, if I work the time back, we should have about six minutes left after Ms. Saks' intervention. We're going to go for a final three minutes to the Conservatives and a final three minutes to the Liberals at the end.
Ms. Saks, you have five minutes. Go ahead, please.
May 3rd, 2023 / 6:15 p.m.
Liberal
Ya'ara Saks Liberal York Centre, ON
Thank you, Chair. I'll thank Mr. Trudeau for joining us here today.
I want to lean into context. I think context is really important. It's something that you mentioned in relation to your deep understanding of China yourself: There's China then and China now.
I'd like to go back to China in 2013. Were you aware of whether Mr. Zhang did other very large donations to other university institutions in Canada at that time?
6:15 p.m.
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
Yes, as I mentioned from the very start, this was a repeat performance that he wanted at Université de Montréal of the Bethune donation to the U of T for their med school.
6:15 p.m.
Liberal
Ya'ara Saks Liberal York Centre, ON
Right, so it was a million-dollar donation to the University of Toronto.