Pascale Fournier

The former head of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, Morris Rosenberg, says concerns were never raised to him about a large donation to the charity from two Chinese businessmen connected to Beijing.

The level of caution Canadian institutions must now take when dealing with China was not top of mind when the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation accepted a pledge from a Chinese billionaire, says the former head of the charitable organization.

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.