On Tuesday, WE co-founder Craig Kielburger admitted to the finance committee that the Trudeau family had received $212,846 in free trips, accommodations and other expenses that were previously not reported.
When combined with the $352,000 WE has paid the Trudeau family in speaking fees, the prime minister’s wife, mother and brother have received a total of $564,846, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.
“I understand that in hindsight this is a significant issue,” Kielburger told MPs.
“I understand why people are raising it, I do.”
Justin Trudeau’s mother Margaret Trudeau received $167,944 in previously unreported expenses, his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau received $25,326, and his brother Alexandre received $19,576.
Craig Kielburger and his brother Marc spent Tuesday testifying in regards to the $912 million contract the Trudeau government gave to WE. The connections between WE and the Trudeau family were not known at the time.
“We should have been more forthright.” Craig said.
“We never envisioned this would emerge as a conflict.”
“The Lobbyist Registry is full of charities except your organization, and yet none of them hire, say for example, the Prime Minister’s mother or the Prime Minister’s brother or have the Prime Minister’s wife,” NDP MP Charlie Angus told the Kielburgers.
It was recently revealed that Finance Minister Bill Morneau also received two free trips from WE since 2017, totalling over $41,000. Morneau has since paid back WE.
Neither Trudeau or Morneau disclosed their connections to WE before the charity was awarded a $912 million contract, of which WE would have pocketed $43.5 million.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Chief of Staff Katie Telford will testify before the finance committee on Thursday.
