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.
5:50 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Would you agree that's a bit strange, given the types of people, the calibre of people, who were on the board, that they didn't have basic written policies on some of this stuff?
5:50 p.m.
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
Well, no. Partly these policies were about a natural evolution of our.... When the board started, would we have had a policy on...? When you're starting, when you're building on sexual harassment or kinds of things that are germane to academia, but—
5:50 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
To get into the specificity around the political risk that the board was carrying with a former prime minister and his son, who is a current politician, who became leader and became Prime Minister, and his brother, it strikes me as unusual that there was no policy around that.
5:50 p.m.
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
All of my colleagues know the type of relationship I have with my brother, which is a fraternal one.
5:50 p.m.
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
The public doesn't, which is another reason I'm happy to be here. They probably would never believe that my brother and I.... I'm one of the few adults in this country who can offer him a world outside politics.
5:50 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Fair enough, but you mentioned something. It was in the questioning from the Conservative member who talked about the cash for access. You said there was a moment of realizing that there should be no more—
5:50 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
When that happened, did you text your brother, reach out and say, “We may have crossed the line here”?
5:50 p.m.
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
No. There is one exception, but I do not discuss public affairs with my brother. I never do. I don't by text, nor when I meet him—
5:50 p.m.
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
On the run-up to this, we did not discuss anything—
5:50 p.m.
NDP
5:50 p.m.
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
No. I have had no contact with the PMO. I haven't for the duration of his government, except that lawyers from the PMO once asked me about joint property, but this is a private matter.
5:50 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
I want to give you the opportunity as it relates to CSIS. I'm assuming that if you're under investigation or what have you.... At any point in time, did anybody outside the foundation flag for you that the foundation might be a target of foreign interference?
5:50 p.m.
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
No.
Again, as Mr. Rosenberg said yesterday, if there were someone who would be briefed on that at the time, it would have been him. Again, it's why I doubt the veracity of that report.
5:50 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
You've talked about your nuanced book, your appreciation, your understanding on China. We've spoken about the China Cultural Industry Association. When you look on their website, you see that the founder of Alibaba, one of the richest people in the world, is on it.
5:50 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Evergrande is probably another conversation for another time, but did you do due diligence? Did you know with whom you were dealing?