Canadian charity in Justin Trudeau ethics probe paid over US$200,000 to PM’s mother and brother
- Prime minister under investigation for conflict of interest after government awarded US$660 million contract to WE Charity
- Organisation said last week it would no longer be administering the student grant programme for which the contract was awarded
The Canadian charity at the heart of a conflict-of-interest investigation into Justin Trudeau disclosed on Thursday that it had paid the Canadian prime minister’s mother and brother a total of more than C$280,000 (US$206,000) to speak at events it organised.
The WE Charity Canada statement confirmed earlier reports by news site Canadaland, as well as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
The youth-focused charity said it paid honoraria to Trudeau’s mother, Margaret, amounting to C$250,000 (US$184,000) for speaking at about 28 events, while his brother Alexandre spoke at eight events and received about C$32,000 (US$23,540). The events took place between 2016 and 2020.
Last week, Canada’s ethics commissioner said he was investigating Trudeau for conflict of interest after his Liberal government awarded a sole-sourced, C$900 million (US$662.9 million) government contract to WE Charity to administer a student grant programme.
WE Charity said last week it would no longer manage the programme.
“The prime minister’s relatives engage with a variety of organisations and support many personal causes on their own accord,” Justin Trudeau’s office said in a statement.