Evidence of meeting #70 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 donation.
A video is available from Parliament.
4:50 p.m.
Chair of the Board of the Foundation, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
My sound pickup seems to be a bit sporadic again.
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
Lisa Hepfner Liberal Hamilton Mountain, ON
Chair, maybe you could ask the members across the table to be more respectful.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Brassard
I've asked the members to keep it down in their conversations.
Go ahead, Ms. Hepfner.
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
Lisa Hepfner Liberal Hamilton Mountain, ON
Okay, thank you.
When asked about Beijing consular officials who attended meetings with the foundation to arrange the donation, Mr. Trudeau responded:
I wasn't at any meeting. Maybe there were, on the signing ceremony.
One of the issues that you have to understand is that the donors, Mr. Zhang Bin and Mr. Niu Gensheng, don't speak a word of English. A lot of the time you're thinking that they are using consular officials as basically free and appropriate translation services, as opposed to getting someone who's not trained in that kind of diplomatic translation.
Do you know anything about this, sir? Do you have any input on that statement?
4:55 p.m.
Chair of the Board of the Foundation, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
I'm afraid I don't. I wasn't there.
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Lisa Hepfner Liberal Hamilton Mountain, ON
When Mr. Alexandre Trudeau was asked about why his signature was needed during those meetings, he responded to Mr. Barrett, I think, saying:
You understand why. I was giving the approval for the Université de Montréal to use the name of my father. I was acting as a family member to say that the Université de Montréal could use the name of Pierre Trudeau to launch a scholarship program.
Since you've been with the foundation since its inception, I wonder if you have any insight into this statement.
4:55 p.m.
Chair of the Board of the Foundation, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
Yes.
I don't know if I can add to what you've said. That was what I heard Alexandre Trudeau say here a few days ago.
As I say, I was not involved at the time in any of the goings on around the donation, so I can't really....
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Lisa Hepfner Liberal Hamilton Mountain, ON
Does it make sense to you though that this would be the reason?
4:55 p.m.
Chair of the Board of the Foundation, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
Yes, it does.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Brassard
That's all the time we have. Thank you, Mr. Johnson and Ms. Hepfner.
We should get back here probably around 5:20 or so. There are 11 minutes left with the bells. We are going to start with Mr. Villemure when we get back.
We have to figure out the time here. I'll figure it out over the vote.
We're going to suspend for votes.
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Brassard
I will reconvene the meeting. It's 5:25.
I'm going to give the floor to Mr. Villemure and then Mr. Green for five minutes each. Then we'll start again with the Conservatives, for five minutes, followed by the Liberals, also for five minutes. Finally, there may be two-and‑a‑half-minute rounds.
I've asked for 15 minutes on the committee business, but I think we probably could get through it in 10 minutes.
Mr. Villemure, you have the floor for five minutes.
5:25 p.m.
Bloc
René Villemure Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Johnson, I'm just trying to put the pieces back in the right order. You have eight board members who resigned at the same time as Ms. Fournier, or thereabouts.
5:25 p.m.
Chair of the Board of the Foundation, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
I think there were thirteen or fourteen of them.
5:25 p.m.
Bloc
5:25 p.m.
Chair of the Board of the Foundation, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
No. There were 13 or 14 members who resigned on the same day.
5:25 p.m.
Bloc
René Villemure Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC
All right. So they resigned at the same time that Ms. Fournier did.
5:25 p.m.
Chair of the Board of the Foundation, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
There was a gap of an hour or two.
5:25 p.m.
Bloc
René Villemure Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC
All right. They can't all be wrong. They must have had reasonable cause to resign.
5:25 p.m.
Chair of the Board of the Foundation, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
Yes, I imagine so.
5:25 p.m.
Bloc
René Villemure Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC
However, at no time were you told about the reasons. Is that right?
5:25 p.m.
Chair of the Board of the Foundation, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
I can't comment on the motives of all these board members. I have spoken with a few, but not all of them.
5:25 p.m.
Bloc
René Villemure Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC
Mr. Johnson, I have been asking you a few questions from the beginning. You told me that, for example, Mr. Rosenberg said this or that you read this in the Globe and Mail. However, I'd like to know what you think about it.
I understand that you haven't had first-hand conversations with everyone, but you are the chair of the board. You have held important positions in the past and you have an opinion.
5:25 p.m.
Chair of the Board of the Foundation, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
Yes. What do you want my opinion on?