Upon hearing the news of the Aga Khan’s death on Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shared a tribute to the Trudeau family’s long-time friend.
“His Highness, The Aga Khan, was an extraordinarily compassionate global leader, a man of vision, of faith and of incredible generosity. He was passionate about Canada and what we’ve been able to create here in this country…and he will be deeply, deeply missed by people around the world, but particularly the Ismaili community that is grieving tonight,” the prime minister said at a public gathering to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
The Aga Khan became the spiritual leader of the world’s millions of Ismaili Muslims at age 20, when he was a Harvard undergraduate. He became the 49th hereditary Imam of the Ismaili Muslims, who trace his lineage directly to the Prophet Mohammad. He was Swiss-born, lived in France, had a British passport and was among the top 15 of the world’s wealthiest royals, with an estimated wealth of $1.1B in 2008.
He went on to channel a fortune in tithes into building homes, hospitals and schools in developing countries. Here in Canada, he helped set up the Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa and the first Islamic arts museum in Toronto.
The connection between the Aga Khan and Justin Trudeau is rooted in a long-standing family relationship. Prince Karim Aga Khan IV was a close friend of Justin Trudeau’s father, Pierre Trudeau, and served as an honorary pallbearer at Pierre’s funeral.
When the connection between the elder Trudeau and the Aga Khan began, the latter was already the Imam of the Ismaili Muslims. He and the former prime minister engaged in multiple discussions about the plight of Ismaili communities facing persecution in various parts of the world. At one point former prime minister Trudeau welcomed Ismaili refugees from Uganda at the Aga Khan’s request.
This led to a personal friendship between the two men, with the Aga Khan visiting Canada regularly, sometimes staying with Pierre Trudeau and his family at the prime minister’s residence on Sussex Drive in Ottawa.
The friendship between the families was further solidified in 1983 when Pierre Trudeau and his children, including Justin, spent two weeks on vacation in the Greek Isles with the Aga Khan and his family. During that time, Justin Trudeau developed a friendship with the Aga Khan’s children.
Despite those early connections, however, the Aga Khan was central to an ethics scandal involving the younger Trudeau decades later. Their relationship became controversial when Justin, as prime minister, accepted a vacation invitation to the Aga Khan’s private island in the Bahamas in December 2016.
The trip led to an ethics investigation because the Aga Khan’s foundation had dealings with the Canadian government. Trudeau was found to have violated conflict of interest laws that forbids a minister or any member of their family from accepting gifts or “advantages” that could reasonably be seen as influencing government decisions.
Despite Trudeau considering the Aga Khan a “close family friend,” the ethics commissioner ruled that their relationship did not qualify as a personal friendship under the Conflict of Interest Act.
Under Canadian law, the prime minister can accept gifts such as holidays from friends and family members. But in her report, Commissioner Mary Dawson found that the only contact between the Aga Khan and the present prime minister from 1983 to 2013 was at the funeral of Pierre Trudeau.
“There were no private interactions between Mr. Trudeau and the Aga Khan until Mr. Trudeau became leader of the Liberal Party of Canada,” Ms. Dawson wrote in her report. “This led me to conclude that their relationship cannot be described as one of friends for the purposes of the act.”
Her report highlighted that Trudeau had accepted hospitality that included transportation and accommodations, valued at over $215,000. This was considered a gift under the Act, and accepting it deemed inappropriate given the Aga Khan’s official dealings with the Canadian government.
Despite her finding, the ethics commissioner does not have the power to impose penalties. Instead, the report’s conclusions were seen to be significant in terms of public perception and political accountability. Ultimately, Trudeau acknowledged the findings and accepted responsibility for his actions.
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