The Conservative Party is asking the Commissioner of Official Languages to investigate the WE Charity because WE was not capable of providing services in French when they received a $912 million federal contract.
In a letter released last week, Conservative MP Richard Martel told language commissioner Raymond Théberge that WE (known as UNIS in Quebec) would not have been able to meet their contract obligations for Francophones.
Martel says that according to the Official Languages Act, the government should have guaranteed that any organization hired to perform a public service should be able to do so in both official languages.
According to La Presse, documents Trudeau recently released on the WE scandal reveal major doubts regarding WE’s Quebec capabilities.
Some of the documents reveal that Quebec cabinet ministers were worried about WE’s ability to service francophones, noting the small presence the group has in Quebec.
“The government’s contempt for the francophone populations of Canada must be the subject of an in-depth study. Justin Trudeau must not be able to shirk his responsibilities,” Martel said in French.
Earlier this year, the Trudeau government tapped WE to administer the $912 million Canada Student Service Grant. The agreement was cancelled after it was revealed members of the Trudeau family have been paid by WE for years.
While Trudeau has claimed that Canada’s public service was solely responsible for selecting WE for the lucrative contract, documents released by Trudeau suggest the Prime Minister’s Office had influenced the decision.
