Month: June 2020

I was asked by someone if I knew or realized that the WE Charity did great work internationally? Yes, I do and what does that have to do with administrating $912 million here at home? Sophie does a podcast for WE and the family has appeared on stage at WE functions several times.

WE wouldn’t be the first organization that does good international work to come under the microscope from dealing with Justin Trudeau. Just ask the Aga Khan.

It is quite legitimate to ask the PM, his ministers, Ottawa bureaucrats and WE questions about what looks like a sole source contract.

1. Charity Intelligence Canada gives WE a poor rating for financial openness and reports WE spends about 9% of its budget for administration and advertising. What financial reporting will be involved with this program now? Will MPs have the right to look at WE spending and administration costs for this program or it exempt now from such scrutiny by elected officials on behalf of Canadian taxpayers?
2. Who made the first move IE did Trudeau, or his staff approach WE first?
3. Why did the civil service feel they could not do the job? This was a very strange decision considering that the public service is there to administer programs on behalf of the taxpayer.
4. Did the WE recommendation originate in the bureaucracy, PMO, minister’s office or come from WE?
5. Who in the bureaucracy supported this decision?
6. On what date was the minister’s office first informed about the WE contract?
7. It would be interesting to know on what date the first briefing notes were prepared for the minister and for the PM as this will help point to the decision-maker and who came up with the idea.
8. Is WE and this contract now exempt from Access To Information requests?
9. Where are the spokespersons for the public service? They are usually opposed to out-sourcing federal programs?

It is a good thing for the Liberals that Trudeau with the help of the NDP was able to shut down Parliament, otherwise there would be plenty of negative headlines- something the Prime Minister doesn’t want as we begin to come out of the pandemic.

Well, the Prime Minister feels that no other organization other than WE CHARITY (which his wife Sophie is an ambassador for and supports) was capable of looking after the Canada Student Service Grant

“The WE organization is the only organization in Canada that has the scale and the ability to deliver volunteer opportunities for young people right across the country at all levels of organizations.” (CBC, 26 June 2020)

Maybe he is right but do we or should we believe him without knowing all of the facts. The answer is NO!

The talk point Trudeau is using they are the “only organization” is the standard talk point all governments regardless of party, use when sole sourcing a contract, often to a friendly corporation.

Other than the PM’s word there is no proof that what he is saying is true. It is time for the media (investigative reporters) to earn their salaries and opposition research staff to start digging for that proof or lack of it.

1. ALWAYS follow the money. In this case the timeline. When was the decision made?
2. Make a list of other organizations that you think might have been able to do the job and ask them if they could deliver the program- for instance the YMCA-YWCA which has locations across the country. Ask them if they were even contacted by bureaucrats or PMO to see if they could do the job.
3. ATIP the hell out of the government
4. Ask for all the briefing notes- if they say it is a cabinet confidence, ask for the draft briefing notes.
5. Ask for all emails between everyone PCO, PMO, Minister’s office (political staff) and bureaucrats and don’t forget to include any sticky notes attached to files. Emails from one bureaucrat at the desk level send up the line to superiors often reveals far more than governments want you to know. Most briefing notes require multiple sign offs as no single bureaucrat will stick his/her neck out on this type of file. They like group consensus to cover everyone off.
6. Ask for copies of all text messages- yes they are often saved on a government server.
7. Ask for details of the contract with WE. The standard response is… it is protected information because it involves a private entity- at that point go after WE to release the details. If what the PM is saying is legit, they have nothing to hide.
8. Call for an emergency meeting of the House Committee looking after this file- maybe Public Accounts chaired by the Conservatives Dean Allison is a good place to start. In previous years the Conservatives used that committee very successfully to uncover such things as the Sponsorship scandal and the transitional jobs funding scandal of the 1990s under Liberal minister Jane Stewart
9. Put bureaucrats under oath when they testify and let the fun begin.
10. Call WE before the committee as well. Use your subpoena power if necessary

This is what opposition parties live for… time to start digging folks- the truth always comes out.