QUESTION PERIOD — Finance
Sole-Source Service Contract
July 27, 2020
Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.
Leader, Prime Minister Trudeau just showed us once again that the Liberals have learned nothing from the sponsorship scandal. They are filled with an overweening sense of entitlement.
Since Justin Trudeau will shortly be explaining himself to a committee of the other place, as you mentioned earlier, I would like to know whether the Prime Minister is going to follow his Minister of Finance’s example and personally reimburse WE Charity for the thousands of dollars in perks it paid out to his wife, his mother and his brother.
I thank the senator for his question. It’s true that, in the past, the WE organization paid money to the individuals you mentioned, but it also paid money to many Canadians who had provided services not only to WE, but also to the causes supported by WE. None of this is remotely relevant to the importance of the issue we are seized with, nor to the government’s commitment to working in an open and transparent fashion with the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, as well as with the committees of the other place.
Government Representative, both you and I have obviously heard Mr. Morneau’s and Mr. Trudeau’s apologies.
If you were to put on your lawyer’s hat, what ethics rules would justify your defending him? I don’t think an apology is sufficient under the circumstances.
I may have a background in law, but in this chamber, I wear my Government Representative hat. These are matters for the commissioner’s office. The government has full confidence that the commissioner will conduct a thorough investigation so that Canadians get answers to their questions at the earliest opportunity.
Senator Gold, the Prime Minister has said it was the public service that initially proposed the WE Charity to organize and deliver the Canada Student Service Grant. According to Minister Morneau, it was Minister Chagger who brought the WE contract to cabinet, and did so without seeking approval from any ministers before signing off on the WE deal.
Senator Gold, I am at a loss for words. Are Canadians being asked to believe that it was either Minister Chagger, who has no known ties to the WE organization, and the public service that came up with the $912-million contract for the WE Charity on their own accord? Why are the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Morneau not accepting full responsibility for this debacle? Moreover, why are they deflecting blame by throwing Minister Chagger, a visible minority woman, under the bus?
Thank you for your question, senator. Again, with respect, I cannot accept some of the premises or assumptions in your question.
There are three committees in the House that have a mandate and that are examining this matter. The Finance Minister has already testified before them. The Prime Minister and his chief of staff have expressed a willingness to testify before them. Furthermore, this whole issue is at the centre of the mandate of the commissioner of ethics, who is investigating it with the full cooperation of the Prime Minister.
Senator, does it not strike you as odd that when things go wrong, it’s always the women who are to blame? I see a pattern here.
Again, respectfully, senator, I simply don’t accept the premise of your question.
It is clearly the case that the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance have acknowledged that they made a mistake in not recusing themselves. They have acknowledged as well the importance of the investigation by the Ethics Commissioner and by the three committees in the other place. Nobody is being thrown under the bus. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance have taken full responsibility for their decisions.
