Margaret Trudeau, mother of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, attends a state dinner at the White House in March 2016. Photo: Reuters
Source:
https://scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3092577/canadian-charity-justin-trudeau-ethics-probe-paid United States & Canada
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
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference in Ottawa on Wednesday. Photo: Bloomberg
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.
It is the third such probe the prime minister has faced.
The first investigation was in 2017 for accepting a holiday on the Aga Khan’s private island a year earlier, and the second, last year, was for seeking to influence a corporate legal case. He was admonished for breaching the rules in both previous cases.
The latest probe was requested by Canada’s main opposition Conservative Party.
“We know now that Justin Trudeau handed almost a billion-dollar contract to a charity that not only had close ties to the Liberal Party, but which paid his family almost C$300,000,” Conservative lawmaker Michael Barrett said in a statement.
Both the prime minister and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, have regularly taken part in WE Charity events. Gregoire Trudeau also hosts a podcast on the organisation’s website.