Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admitted that he “made a mistake” by not refusing to participate in discussions on the choice of an organization for the implementation of the student grant program. This is about the connection of his close relatives with the charity WE Charity, according to OCCRP.
Trudeau said that he should not have participated in the discussions, given the circumstances. “I sincerely regret that I did not do this,” the Prime Minister said at a press conference in Ottawa.
“I am sorry not only because this has created unnecessary contradictions and problems, but also because young people who now face difficulties in finding summer jobs while contributing to communities will have to wait a little longer,” the Prime Minister said.
WE Charity was selected by the Federal government to manage a $ 900 million program designed for students and recent graduates who are volunteering this summer in the Canadian student services Grant program as part of efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Last week, it was revealed that the Prime Minister’s mother and brother received hundreds of thousands of dollars for speaking at WE Charity events. Trudeau’s wife, Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau, hosts a podcast for WE and has appeared at a number of their events.
“At every step, I have tried to create opportunities for young people to serve … When it came to this organization and this program, the involvement that I had in the past, and what was in my family, had to take me out myself. from these discussions, ” the Prime Minister said.
“I made a mistake and I am truly sorry,” – he added.
Meanwhile, it is established that the daughters of Finance Minister Bill Morneau were also associated with WE, one of them worked in the travel Department.
This is the third time that Justin Trudeau has appeared before the Commissioner for conflicts of interest and ethics. Earlier, the Prime Minister was suspected of violating conflict of interest laws in connection with a family vacation on the private island of tycoon Shah Karim al-Husseini, better known as the Aga Khan, and in alleged pressure on the attorney General in the fraud case against the canadian engineering firm SNC-Lavalin for bribing the Gaddafi regime in Libya.
