Trudeau Foundation 'collateral damage' of Poilievre's partisan attacks, says Allan Rock

The former Liberal cabinet minister who oversaw the creation of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation claims Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is engaging in “ignorant, irresponsible and highly partisan” attacks.

Poilievre called for an investigation into the foundation earlier this week, posting on Twitter about a need to know who “got rich” as a result of donations to the foundation, as well as “who got paid and who got privilege.”

In an interview with CTV's Power Play Thursday, Allan Rock told Vassy Kapelos, “The Trudeau Foundation is collateral damage, and it’s important damage. I'm sad, and frankly, I'm angry at the nature of the attacks being made against the foundation these days.”

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His comments come after the foundation announced it will launch an independent review into its acceptance of a donation “with a potential connection to the Chinese government.”

"I think we're learning more about him than we are about the Trudeau Foundation as a result of the nature of these attacks,” Rock said of Poilievre, but he conceded there are unanswered questions about the 2016 donation.

“I’m sure the board of the Trudeau Foundation will answer those questions,” he said.

Poilievre has also been critical that David Johnston, a former member of the foundation, has been named the special rapporteur responsible for investigating claims of Chinese meddling in the last two federal elections.

Rock announced the $125-million government endowment that started the foundation in his capacity as industry minister more than 20 years ago.

He also told Kapelos he was surprised to see the board resign Tuesday.

“I was taken aback. I didn’t think it was a resigning situation,” he said. Rock noted that the board members are not typically in the line of “political fire.”

Watch Vassy Kapelos’s full interview with Allan Rock at the top of this article.