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Canadian charity says it paid PM Trudeau’s mother, brother; probe on
According to a report from the outlet Canadaland, confirmed by others including CBC News, the charity paid Trudeau’s mother Margaret speaking fees totalling CA $ 312,000 while his brother Alexandre netted CA $ 32,000.
The controversy enveloping Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over a contract worth millions to a charity with links to his family has deepened with revelations about his mother and brother being paid by the organisation, local media reported on Thursday.
Canada’s Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion has already said he would probe the contract. The investigation, however, was later dropped by the government following uproar over Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire’s ties with the organisation WE Charity.
According to a report from the outlet Canadaland, confirmed by others including CBC News, the charity paid Trudeau’s mother Margaret speaking fees totalling CA $ 312,000 while his brother Alexandre netted CA $ 32,000.
Also, in its earlier avatar as Free The Children, the organisation is reported to have paid the Prime Minister’s wife an honorarium of CA $ 1400 in 2012 for making an appearance at a youth event.
Controversy over the matter erupted when the government announced that WE Charity would administer the CA $ 914 million Canada Student Service Grant, while being paid CA $ 19.5 million for the purpose. As Trudeau and his wife’s connection to the organisation were revealed, the resultant outcry led to it withdrawing from the project.
Trudeau later admitted to chairing a Cabinet meeting where the proposal was passed.
Canadaland uncovered invoices that showed payments made by the for-profit arm of the organization, ME to WE Social Enterprise.
Confronted with the evidence, the WE Charity acknowledged it paid a total of CA $ 312,000 to Margaret Trudeau via the Speakers’ Spotlight speaking bureau and she netted CA $ 250,000 for 28 events between 2016 and 2020.
The House of Commons Finance Committee is also investigating the matter, after having passed two motions in this regard to extract information from the Prime Minister’s Office. The Operations and Estimates Committee has also announced a similar probe.
