Ottawa: A non-profit organization dedicated to the memory of Pierre Elliott Trudeau is returning a whopping $200,000 it received seven years ago after media reports alleged it had ties to Beijing.
Without naming an unnamed national security source, media reports that a Chinese billionaire was allegedly instructed by the Chinese government to donate $1 million to the Trudeau Foundation in 2014 to influence Justin Trudeau when he became liberal leader. This was a year before the Liberals, led by Trudeau, came to power.
The businessman, as well as another wealthy Chinese businessman, donated $1 million in honor of Trudeau’s father in 2016, including $200,000 for the foundation, the report said.
Pascale Fournier, the president and CEO of the Trudeau Foundation, said the money had been refunded. It is worth mentioning that after the Prime Minister became the Liberal leader, he has not been involved in the work of this foundation.