The Canadian Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner announced on Friday the opening of an investigation into Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after a controversial contract was awarded to a charity to manage a major government program. Commissioner Mario Dion, an independent officer of Parliament, said on Twitter that he "informed" the Prime Minister. His investigation is confidential and will be reported upon once completed.
The announcement came after the charity in question announced Friday that it would withdraw from running a government program that was criticized for being so close to Justin Trudeau. The co-founders of WE Charity (UNIS in French), Craig Kielburger and Marc Kielburger, said in a press release that they made this decision because of the "controversy" over the choice of their organization to manage this program intended to encourage student volunteering in times of a coronavirus pandemic.
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Justin Trudeau's government announced at the end of June that it entrusted the organization with the management of the federal program with a budget of 900 million Canadian dollars (591 million euros) and offering scholarships of up to 5,000 dollars to eligible students, in return for voluntary work with non-profit associations. Justin Trudeau, his wife and the Prime Minister's mother were all invited to speak by We Charity at one point, which had prompted opposition parties to speak of preferential treatment.
WE Charity's decision to withdraw was "mutually agreed , " said Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Youth, Bardish Chagger. "The way (all) it went is disappointing," said Justin Trudeau on Friday during a press briefing. He also defended his personal involvement and that of his family with the organization. "I have been involved with young people for years," he said.
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The Conservative opposition was already demanding an audit from another independent officer of Parliament, the Auditor General of Canada Karen Hogan, over the choice of organization. The Ethics Commissioner has already released two reports concluding that the Prime Minister violated the conflict of interest law: in 2017 for accepting a vacation on the private island of Aga Khan, and the year last for attempting to influence legal proceedings