Finance Minister Morneau's daughter confirmed to work for WE, another at multiple events
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is not the only cabinet member whose family is closely tied to WE Charity. One of Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s daughters currently works for WE, whereas another has spoken at “WE Day” events.
Friday, Morneau’s office confirmed information first published by online media outlet CANADALAND that Grace Acan, who joined Morneau’s family when they sponsored her travel to Canada from Northern Urganda, is currently working for WE as a contractual employee in an administrative role.
“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,” Morneau’s spokesperson Maéva Proteau said in an email.
Morneau’s office also confirmed that another of the minister’s daughters, Clare Morneau, spoke at multiple WE events after publishing a book on young refugee girls. Proteau assures that she’s never been paid for her involvement.
Clare Morneau was also featured in WE’s “Future 50” portrait series “honouring 50 remarkable Canadians and the contributions they are making to the future of our nation.”
Despite his family’s ties to the Toronto-based organization, Morneau’s office says he did not recuse himself from the Trudeau cabinet’s decision to outsource a $900-million student volunteer grant to WE Charity.
“The recommendation to have WE administer the program came from the public service. Ms. Acan’s term contract has absolutely no link with any work the charity has done with the Government of Canada. Mr. Morneau did not recuse himself from the discussions,” Proteau wrote.
These revelations come the same day the Conservative Party of Canada wrote to the RCMP demanding they open a criminal investigation into Trudeau’s handling of the $900 million WE Charity contract.
“For the last several weeks, ethical questions have piled up about the federal government’s decision to award a sole-sourced contract to administer the Canada Student Service Grant to WE Charity, a group with deep and extensive links to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family,” Conservative ethics critic Michael Barrett wrote in a letter to the federal police service.
“I encourage the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to investigate the possibility of criminal offences arising from these disturbing facts. You and the very able members of the national police force possess the necessary skills, expertise and tools to get to the bottom of this.”
One of the “disturbing facts” Barrett is referring to is that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife, mother and brother had received hundreds of thousands of dollars in total speaking fees from the WE organization in recent years.
Last week, the federal Ethics Commissioner opened an investigation into Justin Trudeau and his government’s handling of $900-million Canada Student Service Grant that was outsourced to WE Charity.
Friday, the commissioner’s office told National Post he was “aware of reports concerning Minister Morneau and his family” when asked if he would extend his investigation to Bill Morneau.