Trudeau promise to repay speaking fees from charities doesn’t quell controversy

OTTAWA – Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau remains under fire for taking hefty speaking fees from charitable groups after becoming an MP, despite promising to compensate any organization that was dissatisfied.

The Conservatives say Trudeau should never have accepted any money from any charity — before or after becoming an MP.

And they’ve expanded the definition of charity to include all non-profit groups, universities, municipalities and other public sector organizations.

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair won’t go that far.

But Mulcair says Trudeau should return the fees paid by all charitable and non-profit groups since he was elected in 2008 — not just those who ask for their money back.

So far, only one charity has asked Trudeau to give back his fee, claiming it lost money on a fundraising event for a New Brunswick seniors’ home last year.