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.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
The issue is that you had people from the consulate who were there. You had people from these Chinese government-affiliated organizations—
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
We had consulate officials from other countries at moments. It's a good thing to do academic diplomacy. It is a good thing.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
This isn't just any other country, sir. This didn't trigger—
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
At this time, in 2015 and 2016, China was not the hard place it has now become. We were not on our guard in the same way. No one was. Even our CSIS agents will report that. Things have changed greatly.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Sir, I think it's fair to say that there has been a shift, but I think there were many people who were aware and had concerns.
You've also taken a lot of speaking engagements, personally, with the Confucius Institutes in Canada—
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
I want to ask if you have been compensated for any of the work you've done with the Confucius Institute.
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
I think I spoke once at the Confucius Institute as a sidebar event, because I was in....
First of all, I'm a reader of Confucius, so the Confucius—
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Yes, as am I. The Confucius Institutes have nothing to do with the work or legacy of Confucius.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Can you answer the question, though? Were you compensated for any of that work you did for the Confucius Institutes?
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Have your film production companies ever received funding from individuals or institutions in China that are China-based?
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
I think my book was translated into Chinese, and I received a payment from a Chinese publisher. It was quite modest, frankly.
Yes, I have sold things into China, namely my book. In terms of my films, I've never made a film that was sold in China.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Have you had Chinese government-affiliated institutions, institutions based in China, fund your work at any point?
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Okay.
You said in your book that you still occasionally defend the CCP. For one thing, you said that you don't think China could have come so far so quickly without the unity and organizational power that it provided.
Do you still believe that?
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
That's the key point to understanding recent Chinese history. You need to compare China to China, really, to do a proper analysis of China.
The unifying principles, especially after, as I said, the Deng Xiaoping period, caused by—
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Do you still believe that contention, though? Does that still reflect your world view?
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
Do I believe that the Chinese government made considerable economic achievements? I do, yes, in a certain period.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Do you think that the CCP, that China, could not have progressed in this way without the unity and organizational power provided by the CCP? That's your argument in the book. Do you still believe that?
Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
That's a hypothesis. It's hard to know, but I think one has to say in a positive sense that the organizing principles of the Chinese Communist Party made a significant economic impact on the country. That's correct, yes.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Brassard
That's it, Mr. Genuis. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Trudeau.
Mr. Housefather, welcome to the committee. You have five minutes. Please go ahead.
Liberal
Anthony Housefather Liberal Mount Royal, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair. It's a pleasure to be here.
Thank you very much, Mr. Trudeau, for being here today.
I want to tie up some loose ends, because we're getting later on in your testimony.
I'm on Corporations Canada's website, and Millennium Golden Eagle International Inc. in Canada is a company in good standing, according to the Corporations Canada website, and has been since April 20, 2012. Do you feel that you should be able to rely on Corporations Canada's website to determine whether a company is in good standing or not?