By reading the official documents announcing PK Subban’s involvement, the experts interviewed by our investigative office for 10 days question the strategy and the language that deviates from the principles of the agreement.
• Also read: PK Subban has not lived up to its promise to raise $10 million for sick children
• Also read: Philanthropy: Donations to boost the image of stars
They believe the words used are the work of publicists and PR professionals and the points should have been clearer.
How do we remember that day on September 16, 2015 in the crowded new PK Subban Atrium at Montreal Children’s Hospital? The $10 million donation announced by the Canadian athlete and defender.
The words used in official French documents are unambiguous. Both the hospital foundation and the donor still use it in their publications.
“Montreal Canadiens defense attorney PK Subban pledges to donate at least $10 million to Montreal Children’s Hospital in partnership with the PK Subban Foundation,” the official statement said.
According to the Larousse dictionary, “Commitment is the act of promising something, by convention or contract”.
The PK Subban Foundation, for its part, describes the commitment as follows: “In September 2015, PK Subban donated $10 million to the Montreal Children’s Hospital…”
Public operation
This statement suggests that Subban gave the money when he wasn’t.
“We can use words to influence perceptions a lot,” emphasizes Christian Desîlets, professor of communication at the University of Laval, without questioning Subban’s generosity. In the wording he commits himself. For ordinary mortals, committing and paying are the same. In spirit it’s done. The 10 million dollars are given.
“Obviously the public relations surrounding this announcement makes him accountable to the public. »
Yesterday, following our questions, Subban corrected the amount by announcing that it had reached $6.3 million.
Until then, however, the official financial information showed otherwise. The public records (official press releases, annual reports, and tax returns) reviewed by our Bureau of Investigation show that $3.28 million has been remitted to the foundation since 2015.
More to come
University Laval faculty marketing expert Thomas KB Koo qualifies the English terms used in the announcement materials.
“It’s an obligation. Now it is necessary to know if all the terms of this one are respected. In this particular case, the emphasis is on the $10 million. »
For the sake of transparency, since Subban made this donation public, Professor Desîlets believes that both parties could have provided public tracings of the monies paid through the partnership, or at least a balance sheet, when the period came due in September 2022.
“Here we have the impression that the donor is trying to take advantage of a donation without setting the record straight. »
According to a source in the philanthropic world who asked not to be identified, someone should have sounded the alarm.
“Subban did it to gain recognition as his donation is not anonymous. According to available financial data, it would be 30% of its target. It’s embarrassing. He wants to help, but he played for himself. There he was caught. »
Important clauses
An agreement like that between Subban and the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation is negotiated under a written bilateral contract. The amount of the donation, the period, the payments and the visibility are entered there.
“There are commitments with an amount that rings over a period of time and commitments by money and effort that generate $10 million. In Subban’s case, the modulation in the vocabulary used suggests that he personally gave $10 million, when he did not,” explains this finance source.
lack of transparency
In seeking answers to our questions about this $10 million donation from former Canadian defenseman PK Subban, both management at the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Athlete Clan have pleaded for the confidentiality of the agreement information.
A sum that he did not quite pay on the terms announced with great fanfare.
According to Christian Desîlets, professor of social advertising at Laval University, the Hospital Foundation and PK Subban lack transparency. They want to get the butter and the money of the butter without accountability.
“It is very sensitive to criticize a foundation that helps children. But you have to do it on the principle that you don’t want people using foundations to improve their image without delivering on their promise. In this case, the whole charity system collapses. Which would not be acceptable,” says the specialist in social causes.
Christian Desilets
Social Advertising Teacher
“Philanthropy is a colossal field that relies on generosity,” he continues. Foundations have moral obligations to respect, including transparency. It’s a public morality. Major donors should be seen as such. »
A single episode
To this end, it is important to emphasize that the Hospital Foundation’s core values are that it acts with integrity and is accountable to its partners. She has not made any updates since August 31, 2016, when she previously announced that she had raised $1.4 million from the athlete.
Mr. Desilets recalls that the two parties organized a large press conference to announce the largest donation by a Canadian athlete.
“From the moment you make it a public act and refuse to answer questions because you’re treating it like a confidential gift, there’s a dissonance,” he explains.
The hospital foundation defended itself in writing by answering this question according to the minimum requirements provided for by law.
“We hold an annual general meeting each year and publish our annual reports and financial statements,” said Public Relations Manager Lisa Dutton.
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