Liberal and NDP MPs voted down a motion for federal cabinet members to disclose whether they were aware of ties between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and WE before awarding the charity a $912 million student grant program.
The motion was brought forward during Wednesday’s House of Commons Ethics Committee by the Conservatives but failed to reach the required votes needed to be implemented.
During a debate on the motion, Liberal committee members called it “poorly drafted” before shutting it down with the NDP’s support.
“I think that Canadians deserve answers. This is a simple process, a simple procedure that simply asks those that were tasked with making a decision regarding close to a billion dollars, it simply asks for the information to be given to Canadians,” said committee member and Conservative MP Damien Kurek.
The Conservatives say they have submitted new evidence for the ethics commissioner. Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion has confirmed that he is investigating both Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau for their involvement in the WE Charity affair.
If found guilty, this would be the third ethics violation incurred by Trudeau since becoming Prime Minister.
Trudeau was first found guilty of breaking ethics laws after accepting a family vacation to the Aga Khan’s private island in 2017.
Last year, Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion also found Trudeau guilty of breaking ethics laws after attempting to interfere in the justice system by pressuring former Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould.
The prime minister as well as his Chief of Staff Katie Telford are expected to appear before the committee on Thursday afternoon to testify regarding the matter.
