Canada’s Trudeau to testify in parliamentary committee amid ethical investigation

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will make a rare appearance before a parliamentary committee on Thursday amid questions about the government’s decision to allow a charity with ties to his family to administer a major student grant program .

The growing scandal over the C $ 900 million ($ 671 million) contract awarded to WE Charity Canada has hurt Trudeau in the polls, with his Liberal Party falling to a 4-point lead over opposition conservatives, a poll showed. of Abacus Data on Thursday.

The popularity of the liberal government had skyrocketed amid Canada’s response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Trudeau will appear under oath at 3 p.m. (1900 GMT), while his chief of staff, Katie Telford, will follow him at 4:15 p.m. The committee voted Wednesday night to extend Trudeau’s testimony to three hours.

Conservative leader Andrew Scheer said a longer testimony is needed to get to the bottom of the matter. The committee alone cannot compel Trudeau to stay beyond his hours.

“An hour is not enough when we talk about a billion dollars,” he told reporters on Thursday.

The testimony of a Canadian prime minister before a parliamentary committee is very unusual. It last happened in 2006 when then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper appeared at one o’clock to talk about Senate reform.

Trudeau’s testimony comes after being investigated for possible violations of conflicts of interest. It is the third ethics investigation he has faced in three years.

The prime minister has already publicly apologized for participating in the cabinet’s decision to choose WE Charity to administer the grant program. The organization withdrew shortly after the program was announced.

Canada’s ethics commissioner launched the investigation after WE Charity revealed that he had paid Trudeau’s mother and brother for speaking.

Both the Prime Minister and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, have regularly participated in WE Charity events.