Information & Ethics committee  They had wanted to get everything done very quickly at the beginning, as I was saying. They had wanted to do that at the Université de Montréal. The Trudeau foundation, from his point of view, was an unfortunate add-in. Here's a new Prime Minister. He's a rich guy who likes being at fancy occasions. I think he wanted his photo with him.

Information & Ethics committee  Even during the Harper era, there was the impression, including from the leader of the opposition when he arrived in the House, who wanted to politicize the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. As I explained at the outset, the foundation's orientation is academic. Its purpose is to recognize that intellectual work is perhaps the greatest service people can render to our country, as Pierre Trudeau did, both before and after his life in politics, as an intellectual.

Information & Ethics committee  And yet, according to the same source, only yesterday the Prime Minister organized a meeting with a Conservative member to tell him that there were attempts at interference by a Chinese diplomat. That's probably the same source who provided the information about the Trudeau foundation, Mr. Trudeau.

Information & Ethics committee  —and your own relationship with China and the current regime, the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation became a choice target for a regime seeking to extend its influence around the world, as you yourself mentioned. Canada itself became a target owing to the political position filled by your brother, who at the time was the head of a political party and who is now Prime Minister.

Information & Ethics committee  There was recognition for the father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, but they did not, it would appear, want the involvement of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, because it didn't align with their model.

Information & Ethics committee  I'm sure you grew up in a lifestyle that would have had a lot of attention, to say the least. What precautions did the Trudeau foundation take to ensure that there was an appropriate firewall between you and your brother—between the political partisan work and the foundation's work?

Information & Ethics committee  I think Monsieur Lefebvre reported at one point how he was a little bit irked that the Trudeau family was suddenly involved in the Trudeau foundation. He wanted to apply the same model he had applied at the U of T at Université de Montréal. He was friendly, but not overly so, and I told him what I was telling Mr. Green—that we had to wait for the new president to come in to start negotiations.

Information & Ethics committee  in 2019, the University of Montreal dean of the faculty of law, France Houle, wrote that the Trudeau foundation wanted to give the faculty of law of the Université de Montréal a $200,000 donation. She was referring to a discussion that her predecessor—Gaudreault-DesBiens, whom you have referenced—had with you, Alexandre Trudeau, in which you mentioned that the foundation wanted to do that.

Information & Ethics committee  Jean-François Gaudreault-DesBiens, a law professor at the faculty, came to see me on behalf of his dean, I told him that ever since the foundation had been established, all efforts to collect funds in the name of Pierre Elliott Trudeau had to go through the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. We felt that we had a monopoly, but they had a truly interesting opportunity. I met him in 2014, on the 10th or the 16th of January. At that time—

Information & Ethics committee  I have only 30 seconds left, so just quickly, just to clarify, there was no relationship between your brother's government and the Trudeau foundation.

Information & Ethics committee  The facts of that report were problematic since never, at any point, was it questioned that those donors gave a million dollars to the Trudeau foundation. Why is someone claiming that they were going to be reimbursed? These men, with in their standing in China.... Niu Gensheng, for instance, is well admired for his philanthropy.

Information & Ethics committee  I would now like to welcome our witness today, Mr. Alexandre Trudeau, a member of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. Mr. Trudeau, the floor is yours for five minutes.

Democratic Institutions  Speaker, as the Prime Minister has confirmed on a number of occasions, he has no relationship with the Trudeau Foundation, which is responsible for scholarships. It is irresponsible to engage in such partisan attacks against a non-profit organization. The opposition is doing so without any evidence to prove such a relationship, because it does not exist.

Democratic Institutions  Speaker, as the Prime Minister has said several times, there is no connection between him and the Trudeau Foundation, either direct or indirect. It is very clear. The foundation is responsible for granting scholarships. I think it is entirely irresponsible to attack an independent foundation.

Ethics  Speaker, yesterday Morris Rosenberg, the former deputy minister of foreign affairs and ex-CEO of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, stated that Alexandre Trudeau, the Prime Minister's brother, was only involved in the signing of one donation. To no one’s surprise, it was the infamous $200,000 donation from two wealthy Chinese nationals with direct links to the Communist regime in Beijing.