Trudeau’s family was paid nearly $300,000 in WE speaking fees
Charity at centre of a widening political scandal for prime minister
OTTAWA — Members of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s immediate family received hundreds of thousands of dollars for speaking at events hosted by WE Charity, the organization at the centre of a widening political scandal for the Liberal government.
Trudeau is facing his third ethics investigation as prime minister for his government’s decision to sole source the delivery of a $900-million volunteering grant program to WE Charity.
The prime minister has said that both he and his family had “voluntarily” worked with WE in the past and they intend to continue that work. But WE confirmed that members of Trudeau’s family, including his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, have received financial compensation for speaking at WE hosted events.
The existence of financial payments between WE and the Trudeau family was first reported by Canadaland and CBC News on Thursday.
Margaret Trudeau, the prime minister’s mother, received $250,000 in honorariums for speaking at 28 WE-hosted events between 2016 and 2020. Alexandre Trudeau, the prime minister’s brother, received $32,000 in speaking fees between 2017 and 2018.
WE said both were booked for the events through Speaker’s Spotlight, a company that connects notable speakers to corporate and charity event organizers. The company once featured Justin Trudeau, before his acceptance of paid speaking gigs as an MP set off a minor scandal. The payments were supposed to be from ME to WE Social Enterprise, WE’s forprofit corporation, not the charity itself.
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, an “ambassador and ally” to WE who also hosts a podcast for the charity, was given a one-time honorarium of $1,400 for speaking at a WE event in 2012.
“The prime minister’s relatives engage with a variety of organizations and support many personal causes on their own accord,” wrote Alex Wellstead, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office.
“What is important to remember here is that this is about a charity supporting students,” Wellstead added in response to questions about payments to the Trudeau family.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves François Blanchet said Trudeau should step aside and allow Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland to govern until the ethics investigation is complete.
The Liberal government announced on June 25 that it would outsource the management of a $900 million grant program for student volunteers during COVID-19 to WE, a global charity co-founded by brothers Marc and Craig Kielburger. WE would receive $19.5 million in payments to manage the program. Commissioner Mario Dion confirmed on Friday that his office was examining whether Trudeau violated three separate ethics laws — if the prime minister put himself in a conflict of interest in awarding the contract to WE, whether Trudeau gave preferential treatment to WE, and whether or not he should have recused himself from a cabinet vote to move ahead with the program.