Trudeau Foundation board members resign over allegations of China-linked donation

By Firdevs Bulut Kartal

TORONTO (AA) - The president and board of directors of a charitable foundation named after former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau resigned Tuesday following controversy over a donation with alleged ties to China.

"In recent weeks, the political climate surrounding a donation received by the (Trudeau) Foundation in 2016 has put a great deal of pressure on the Foundation’s management and volunteer Board of Directors, as well as on our staff and our community," said the foundation in a statement.

The donation in question was in the sum of $200,000 received from a businessman linked to the Chinese government, according to a report by CBC Canada.

"The circumstances created by the politicization of the Foundation have made it impossible to continue with the status quo, and the volunteer Board of Directors has resigned, as has the President and CEO," said the statement.

Three directors have agreed to remain on an interim basis to continue their responsibilities towards their fellows and scholars while waiting for the board’s renewal, it added.

The foundation announced last month that it would return the controversial donation.

The late Pierre Trudeau is the father of current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who answered a question about the donation during a news conference Tuesday in Toronto with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

The Canadian leader said the Trudeau Foundation was established to promote knowledge and academic research following the death of his father and “is a foundation with which I have absolutely no intersection.”

"It is a shame to see the level of toxicity and political polarization that is going on in our country these days," he added.