Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau says he “pushed back” at the Public Service’s recommendation that the WE Charity, which has ties to his family, should manage the Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG) program.
Giving testimony before Parliament’s Finance Committee, Mr Trudeau said he and his Chief of Staff, Katie Telford (pictured) were not aware that the Public Service had the Toronto-based organisation in mind to administer the program until hours before it was supposed to reach the Cabinet table.
“When I learned that WE Charity was recommended I pushed back,” Mr Trudeau said.
“I wanted to be satisfied that the proposal that WE Charity deliver the CSSG had been properly scrutinised,” he said.
Mr Trudeau said that he decided to pull the CSSG from the Cabinet agenda, three days after the COVID-19 Cabinet Committee endorsed the recommendation, and asked the Public Service for “further due diligence.”
He later said during the meeting that he knew there “would be questions asked because of the links to my family”.
Mr Trudeau said on 21 May, the Public Service told him it had done its work in supporting its recommendation that a third-party was needed in order for the CSSG to go ahead and that the only option was WE Charity.
“It was between going ahead with the charity to deliver the program, or not going ahead with the program at all,” he said.
“Given the Public Service advice, I was comfortable that the CSSG could now be presented to Cabinet”.”
The escalating scandal over the program grant has hurt Mr Trudeau in the polls, with his Liberal Party slipping to a four-point lead over the Opposition Conservatives.
Canada’s Ethics Commissioner launched the investigation after the WE Charity disclosed that it had paid Mr Trudeau’s mother and brother for speaking appearances.
Both the Prime Minister and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, have regularly participated in WE Charity events.
Ottawa, 4 August 2020
