Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland’s office had discussions with WE before the student volunteer scholarship program was presented to cabinet.
This is what we learn by continuing to read some 5,000 pages of documents submitted this week to the Standing Committee on Finance, which tried to shed light on the WE Charity affair.
There are emails dated April 21, the day before the official announcement of massive student aid. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in the April 22 announcement he believed the state would administer scholarships for student volunteerism itself.
Freeland is involved
But the day before, the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Finance Michelle Kovacevic wrote: “My minister’s office has discussed with WE. I told them that they should contact the office of the Deputy Prime Minister ”.
Christiane Fox, Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Youth at the Privy Council Office replied: “Yes, the office of the Deputy Prime Minister and now WE have contacted us”.
Mme Fox explains that two programs were discussed, one related to social entrepreneurship and another related to volunteering. She indicates that WE is proposing to create 16,000 places for young volunteers.
On the same day, April 21, Amitpal Singh, political adviser in the office of the Minister of Finance, wrote an email about helping young people.
“We are awaiting confirmation from the Prime Minister’s office, but we should reserve a space to put that WE will ensure 20,000 placements for 12 million ($),” he notes.
Justin Trudeau said, however, that officials recommended WE much later, on May 8, and that he then asked them to do additional checks.
Traces of this request are indeed found in a bundle of unsigned handwritten notes dated May 8. But at this point, WE was already going full steam ahead.
Hi, Bill
On the day of the official announcement of April 22, WE co-founder Craig Kielburger wrote to ex-minister Bill Morneau. “Hi, Bill,” he begins, before talking about his “turnkey” program for the summer.
“Over the past two weeks, we have had the opportunity to interact with Minister Ng, Minister Chagger, Deputy Minister Chris Fox, among others,” he said.
He ends by saying that Mme Fox “has graciously agreed to share [leur] vision with Deputy Premier Freeland and Minister Bains ”.
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