Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admitted on Monday, July 13, that he had "made a mistake " by participating in discussions on an important government contract awarded to a charity that paid members of his family. " Because of my participation in Unis Charity (WE Charity in English), I should have withdrawn from the discussions and I did not ," said Mr. Trudeau at a press conference. " It was my mistake, I deeply apologize ."
Read also: Justin Trudeau at the heart of a new political storm
" I knew that my family, my family members worked with this organization, were involved with this organization but I did not have the details of their remuneration and I should have had these details and I regret, ”he added. This turmoil originated from the awarding of the public contract to the UNIS charitable association without tenders for the management of a student bursary program of nearly one billion Canadian dollars.
Opposition calls for police investigation
The contract has since been withdrawn from this organization, but the controversy rebounded when WE Charity admitted, after saying the opposite, that he had paid nearly $ 300,000 (189,000 euros) to the mother and brother of Mr. Trudeau for catches in recent years. Mr. Trudeau's wife is said to have received $ 1,500 (about 1,000 euros) for an event in 2012, before Mr. Trudeau became leader of the Liberal party.
Read also: Canada: Opposition calls for police investigation into Justin Trudeau
The conservative opposition called for a police investigation into the case on Friday, which is the subject of an investigation by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, an independent officer of parliament. Mr. Trudeau has already been pinned twice since 2017 by the Ethics Commissioner for breaking the conflict of interest law. The Conservative Party also wants to force Justin Trudeau to appear before a parliamentary committee to explain the award of this contract.