Information & Ethics committee  As a public servant, I always acted in an independent and nonpartisan manner. In fact, when I accepted the position at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, I knew that it was an independent, nonpartisan organization.

Information & Ethics committee  Who asked for the donation to go to the Trudeau Foundation?

Information & Ethics committee  I mean the donation destined for the Trudeau Foundation?

Information & Ethics committee  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.

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

Information & Ethics committee  He is the author of “Report on the assessment of the 2021 Critical Election Incident Public Protocol” and the former president and CEO of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. Just before Mr. Rosenberg begins, I am going to advise the committee that we received up to 120 pages from our witness on Friday. Many of them have to be translated. We've also received information that will have to be transcribed.

Democratic Institutions  Obviously, it is easy for China. China could get close to the Prime Minister through the Trudeau Foundation. China could get close to the Liberals at their own $1,500-a-head cocktail parties during their first term. Then, when China gets caught by CSIS doing things like threatening the family of an elected member, the Liberals keep it a secret.

Democratic Institutions  It is their culture of secrecy that increases foreign interference: secrecy about China's connections through the Trudeau Foundation; secrecy about China interfering in democracy; secrecy about Chinese threats towards the family of an elected official. From day one, the Prime Minister could have been transparent with an independent and public commission of inquiry.

Democratic Institutions  That is the fact that I have had no direct or indirect involvement in the operations of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation.

Democratic Institutions  I have a question for the Prime Minister of a country that China holds in such contempt that it sees it as an easy target. If the person responsible for Pierre Elliott Trudeau's legacy at the Trudeau Foundation were to be called in for questioning by the CRA, the committee or whoever, would the Prime Minister recuse himself from participating in any way—

Democratic Institutions  It is not like an apartment building where they just rent one space in it and do not know what else goes on. This is the Prime Minister's own office. The Trudeau Foundation met with with five deputy ministers in the Prime Minister's own office. The Prime Minister is a member of the Trudeau Foundation, and he is trying to cover this up. Why will he not tell the truth?

Democratic Institutions  Why does this government refuse to recognize that the only reason the Chinese authorities would donate to the Trudeau Foundation is to curry favour with the Prime Minister?

Democratic Institutions  I am not making this up; the CSIS reports say as much. Can the Prime Minister now tell us whether he knew that the Trudeau Foundation was influenced by the donation it received and that the transaction was intended to influence operations in Canada, yes or no?

Democratic Institutions  Mr. Speaker, Pascale Fournier, former CEO of the Trudeau Foundation, appeared at committee, and her revelations were troubling. She testified that under her predecessor, Morris Rosenberg, an association with ties to Beijing dictated the terms for transferring the controversial $140,000 donation to the foundation.

Democratic Institutions  Speaker, as the Prime Minister has repeatedly stated, there has been no relationship between the Prime Minister and the Trudeau Foundation for more than 10 years. It is an independent non-profit organization that hands out scholarships. It is important that we do not attack an independent foundation here in the House.