National

Trudeau Foundation returning 2016 donation

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 01 Mar, 2023 05:54 PM

OTTAWA - The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation says it is returning $200,000 it received seven years ago after a media report alleged a potential connection to Beijing.

The Globe and Mail, citing an unnamed national security source, published a report on an alleged plot by the Chinese government to influence Justin Trudeau after he became Liberal leader.

The report alleged a Chinese billionaire was instructed by Beijing to donate $1 million to the Trudeau Foundation in 2014, the year before the Liberals came to power under Trudeau.

The report says that he and a second wealthy Chinese businessman donated $1 million in honour of the elder Trudeau in 2016, including $200,000 to the foundation.

Pascale Fournier, the president and CEO of the Trudeau Foundation, which the prime minister has not been involved with since becoming leader, says the amount has been refunded.

Fournier's statement says "we cannot keep any donation that may have been sponsored by a foreign government and would not knowingly do so."

The Canadian Press could not immediately reach the individual at the centre of the report by the Globe and Mail, which said Tuesday he did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Federal health offer is $196 billion over a decade

There will also be an immediate one-time $2 billion top-up to this year's Canada Health Transfer to help provinces ease the intense pressure on emergency rooms and children's hospitals. Provinces can also get $1.7 billion over five years to increase wages for personal support workers in long-term care and home care.

Federal health offer is $196 billion over a decade

COVID critic died of drug toxicity: B.C. coroner

The report says Mak Parhar was found by a family member unresponsive in the bathroom of his New Westminster home on Nov. 4, 2021. The coroner's report says Parhar had ethanol, cocaine and fentanyl in his system at the time of death, ruling it accidental due to "mixed illicit drug toxicity."

COVID critic died of drug toxicity: B.C. coroner

West Fraser Timber to curtail Quesnel, B.C., mill

West Fraser says the downtime at the Cariboo mill will help the company align its production capacity, though its plans may change if the fibre forecasts do. The company says the mill expects to mitigate some of the impact on employees through vacation scheduling and alternative work assignments.

West Fraser Timber to curtail Quesnel, B.C., mill

Climate change pushes B.C. urchins to shallows

The study's co-author, Rylan Command, said heat domes and heat waves are becoming more common, and understanding how the ocean responds to those changes can have a direct impact on people.

Climate change pushes B.C. urchins to shallows

One-third of Canadians financially worse off: poll

According to a Leger poll commissioned by the Association for Canadian Studies, 34 per cent of Canadian households say they're financially worse off compared with a year ago. The majority of respondents, 58 per cent, said their financial situation was about the same as it was a year ago.

One-third of Canadians financially worse off: poll

Trudeau to present new health offer to premiers

The provinces budgeted about $204 billion for health care in this fiscal year and the Canada Health Transfer was set at $45 billion, or about 22 per cent of that. The premiers want the federal share to increase to 35 per cent.