The mother and brother of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were paid thousands of dollars to speak at WE events, a charity with close ties to his family.
Margaret spoke at approximately 28 events and received honoraria amounting to $250,000. Alexandre spoke at eight events and received approximately $32,000, according to the CBC.
WE Charity has said in the past that members of the Trudeau family don’t receive fees or honoraria when they appear at WE events, CBC reported.
Trudeau has been under fire since announcing the sole-source contract with WE Charity to administer the $900-million Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG) project, because of the charity’s association with the Trudeau family.
WE announced last week they would be pulling out of the deal but Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion said he would be conducting an investigation into Trudeau’s role in the deal.
The Prime Minister’s Office released a statement basically saying ‘think of the children.’
“The Prime Minister’s relatives engage with a variety of organization and support many personal causes on their own accord. What is important to remember here is that this is about a charity supporting students. The Canada Student Service Grant is about giving young people opportunities to contribute to their communities, not about benefits to anyone else,” The PMO statement said
Opposition members were furious about the announcement.
Bloc Quebecois leader Yves Blanchet said Trudeau must resign until the ethics commissioner has completed his investigation.
“We must recall Parliament immediately to get answers and bring accountability. The Prime Minister personally intervened to direct a billion-dollar program to a group that had paid his family almost $300k. Not in Venezuela. Not in Zimbabwe,” tweeted Tory MP Pierre Poilievre.
Tory leadership contender Erin O’Toole tweeted: “Justin Trudeau gives WE millions in taxpayer money. WE pays Trudeau’s mother $250,000 and brother $32,000. I have the experience and seat in parliament to hold the Liberals accountable. And I will end Justin Trudeau’s corruption.”
Fellow Tory candidate Peter MacKay tweeted: “It was already alarming Trudeau would give a sole source contract to implement a Covid relief program instead of using our public service. It veers into the absurd that Trudeau did not recuse himself from decisions involving an org with direct financial dealings with his family.”
Former Calgary Flame star Theo Fleury tweeted he was asked to speak at a WE event and was informed presenters don’t get paid.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation said the situation is what happens when things aren’t transparent.
“This is a bad look and this whole mess shows why transparency and competition for government contracts is so essential,” said Franco Terrazzano, Alberta Director for the CTF.
About 35,000 students and recent graduates have applied for the CSSG, which links them with volunteering opportunities in exchange for payments of between $1,000 and $5,000.
Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard
dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com
Twitter.com/nobby7694
Recent Comments