| | | Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had announced on June 25, 2020 that the government had chosen WE Charity to run the long-promised $912 million dollar Canada Student Service Grant.
The program would provide young people who volunteer on COVID-19 related matters over the summer and fall with up to $5,000.
Following complaints by opposition parties that the Trudeau family had ties to WE Charity, the Ethics Commissioner on July 3, 2020 announced an investigation into Trudeau's and the government's decision to have the charity administer a summer, student-grant program which could assist students financially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trudeau responded by saying WE was the only charity that had the capability to administer such a program.
Because of the complaints, WE and the federal government decided to "part ways" leaving administration of the grant program to the federal government.
On July 11, 2020, the WE Charity announced that all but 15 of the 465 individuals hired to help administer the federal government’s student volunteer grant program were laid off and instructed not to talk about their former ties with the charity.
At a press conference on July 13, 2020, Trudeau apologized for not recusing himself from cabinet discussions of the program.
He also expressed regret that the escalating controversy would lead to delays in opportunities for students, and that members of his family were also receiving backlash, particularly his mother, Margaret Trudeau.
WE Charity also took out full-page ads in major Canadian newspapers intending to "set the record straight" about questions regarding their involvement with the program and the Trudeau family.
WE Charity scandal
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