Information & Ethics Committee on May 2nd, 2023

[Morris Rosenberg]

I can clarify it a bit further if you like.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

We'll just wait until he starts back up.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

Thank you for allowing me the time to clarify.

You can't do that on a point of order. You have to do that when you have the floor. However, you can also propose, Mr. Green, that notwithstanding the usual practice of the committee, you can ask for these documents to be submitted, and I'd hope we would have unanimous consent for that.

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Mr. Chair, I'll acknowledge that Mr. Barrett has the floor and has the prerogative to do that at this time.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

Thank you.

Mr. Barrett, you can continue—

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

I'm sorry, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

Go ahead.

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Which documents are we specifically referring to?

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

Mr. Rosenberg has referred to 160 pages of documents.

What was that, Mr. Rosenberg?

[Morris Rosenberg]

I don't have the whole 160 pages here. I have a corporate search on Millennium Golden Eagle International.

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Respectfully, then, Mr. Chair—

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

The motion hasn't been moved, so no debate is going on right now. I thought you were just seeking a point of clarification, which I accepted.

Mr. Barrett, if you want to continue, you have three minutes. Go ahead, sir.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Thanks, Chair.

Are you able to say at what point the Prime Minister or his brother were raised in the negotiations that occurred over the two-year period between the donors and the foundation?

[Morris Rosenberg]

I think very early on, not the Prime Minister but Mr. Alexandre Trudeau would have been involved.

I started my job at the foundation in September 2014. I know that Mr. Trudeau was having some discussions with Mr. Lefebvre from the Université de Montréal before that. You'd have to ask him when those began. I believe they began quite early in 2014.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

When did you first learn about the donation?

[Morris Rosenberg]

Which one? The donation to the Université de Montréal?

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

I mean the donation destined for the Trudeau Foundation?

[Morris Rosenberg]

It was September 2015.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

How did you learn about that?

[Morris Rosenberg]

You'll have to understand that we're talking about something that happened eight years ago, so my memory of this is poor, but there is documentation here that I will provide to the committee—this 160 pages—that suggests there was no intent on the part of the donor to donate to the Trudeau Foundation initially.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Who asked them for the money?

[Morris Rosenberg]

It was the Université de Montréal.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

The Université de Montréal asked them to give $200,000 to the Trudeau Foundation.

[Morris Rosenberg]

No, I didn't say that.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Who asked for the donation to go to the Trudeau Foundation?