Both the Prime Minister and WE have faced criticism since Trudeau announced that the organization had been selected to oversee the massive Covid-19 related grant program for student volunteers.
Amid the controversy, WE withdrew from the contract that would have paid the charity C $ 19.5 million. The program will now be administered by the government.
Trudeau has insisted that the decision to outsource the program to WE originated with the public service. He added that he and his team had considered criticizing his family’s connection to WE.
“Obviously, I have known for many years that my mother has been an extraordinary advocate for mental health issues, a professional public speaker who works with a variety of different organizations,” she said of her mother, Margaret Trudeau, who was married to the former prime minister. Minister Pierre Trudeau.
“Obviously, I knew that she worked with WE. She didn’t know the details of how much various organizations paid her, but she should have and I deeply regret it, “said Trudeau.
WE said that from 2016 to 2020, Margaret Trudeau received around C $ 250,000 for speaking at approximately 28 events.
Trudeau also added that he regrets “the fact that I brought my mother into this situation in a way that is really unfair to her.”
Even with Trudeau’s apology, the controversy is unlikely to go away anytime soon.
Last week, conservatives asked the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to launch a criminal investigation into the Trudeau government’s decision to outsource the program to WE. The call followed an announcement earlier this month by Canada’s ethics regulator that it is investigating the matter to determine whether Trudeau violated conflict of interest laws.
Conservative MP Parliamentarian Pierre Poilievre said Sunday that he would invite Trudeau to testify under oath on the matter in the House of Commons finance committee. But Philippe Lagassé, an expert at Carleton University in the Westminster parliamentary system, has said that a committee itself cannot compel Trudeau to testify.
Trudeau said several ministers and officials will testify in committee on the matter this week.
“I will look at the invitations that come and discuss them with my House leadership team,” he said when asked if he was also willing to be a witness.
Poilievre also said that conservatives plan to invite Finance Minister Bill Morneau, who has his own family ties to WE, to appear before the committee.
