By Canadian Press

Montreal university to keep donation linked to Chinese government influence effort

Apr 20, 2023 | 3:10 PM

MONTREAL — A Montreal university says it will keep a donation from two Chinese businessmen that has been linked to an alleged plot by the Chinese government to influence Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The Université de Montréal says it has not been able to confirm allegations from an unnamed national security source reported in The Globe and Mail that the donation was part of a political interference operation.

The university says it would be difficult to repay the money and that doing so could violate tax law.

The school says it received $550,000 out of the $800,000 pledged in 2016 to create a scholarship fund and build a statue of the late Pierre Elliott Trudeau, the former prime minister who taught at the university and was the current prime minister’s father.

A news release today from the university says only four scholarships were ever awarded from the donation and the current balance of the fund — almost $507,000 — will now be used for other purposes.

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Last week, the president and board of directors of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation resigned over a donation linked to the alleged influence operation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 20, 2023. 

The Canadian Press