Trudeau to compensate charities that paid him to help raise money

OTTAWA – Justin Trudeau says he’ll compensate any charitable group that paid him a hefty speaking fee to participate in fundraising events.

The Liberal leader says he’ll either give back the fees or find some other way to “make it right.”

He could, for instance, agree to speak again at fundraisers for the groups — for free this time.

Trudeau told CTV’s Question Period he’ll sit down with each of the groups to see what suits them best.

Trudeau has voluntarily disclosed that he earned $1.3 million on the public speaking circuit between 2006 and 2009, some of it after becoming an MP in 2008.

He’s been under fire for refusing to reimburse a New Brunswick charity that lost money after paying him $20,000 to speak at a fundraising event in June 2012.