Finance Minister Bill Morneau did not recuse himself from the federal cabinet decision to grant WE Charity a contract to deliver a now-halted $900 million COVID-19 student grant program, despite his two daughters having connections to the organization.
In a statement to CTV News, Morneau’s office said that there is “absolutely no link” between his daughters’ involvements with the charity and “any work that WE does with the Government of Canada.”
“Clare has spoken at WE events, as well as many other public events, in the context of the release of her book on young refugee girls. She has never been compensated for that work,” said Maeva Proteau, press secretary for Morneau. “She got this position on her own merits. There is absolutely no link between her employment and any work that WE does with the Government of Canada,” Proteau said.
With the program halted, thousands of students are now in limbo without summer jobs and, for now, no chance for volunteer grants to help cover costs like fall tuition. The grant to post-secondary students and recent graduates was set to provide payments that amount to less than minimum wage for volunteering in pandemic-related programs, depending on the number of hours worked. For every 100 hours spent, a student would receive $1,000.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Evening Update: Ottawa projects $343.2-billion deficit, more than $1-trillion debt; Trudeau did not recuse himself from WE Charity decisionAlso: Watchdog critical of Crown corporation responsible for Saudi LAV deal
Read more »
Trudeau admits he did not recuse himself from decision to outsource $900 million volunteer grant program to WE CharityBefore Wednesday, Trudeau had never detailed his own involvement in the decision to outsource the $900 million program to WE Charity
Read more »
Conservatives call for criminal investigation of WE Charity contractMembers of parliament are asking for a RCMP investigation under the criminal code, which covers government fraud
Read more »
CERB Is Coming To An End As Feds Focus On Wage SubsidyBill Morneau says the government is looking to remove “disincentives” that may keep Canadians from working
Read more »