CEO of Trudeau Foundation and Entire Board Resign Amid Chinese Donation Scandal

The board of directors of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation has resigned due to the politicization of a 2016 donation that was allegedly orchestrated by the Chinese government. President and CEO Pascale Fournier and the board jointly announced their decision to step aside, citing the pressure they faced in recent weeks in a statement posted on the foundation’s website. The statement explained that the politicization of the foundation’s circumstances had made it impossible to continue with the status quo, leading to the resignations. Three directors will remain with the foundation on an interim basis to ensure its obligations are met.

The scrutiny on the foundation began after Chinese philanthropists Zhang Bin and Niu Gensheng allegedly made a $200,000 donation that was part of a 2014 plot by Beijing to influence newly-minted Liberal leader Justin Trudeau. Last month, Fournier issued a statement saying the foundation had returned the donation as ethics and integrity are among the core values of the independent, non-partisan charity.

Confidential national security sources cited by the Globe and Mail revealed that the two businessmen made a $1 million donation in honor of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau in 2016, with $200,000 going to the foundation and an $800,000 pledge to the University of Montreal, where the father of Canada’s current prime minister studied law.The university confirmed that it had received $550,000 to create scholarships on behalf of the two donors, with the remaining $250,000 pledge not being received by the school. The university has not yet announced whether it will return the donation.