'Sincerely sorry': Canadian PM Trudeau apologises over controversial charity contract

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, on July 13, apologized for not recusing himself from discussions about a government contract to WE charity. The Candian leader was tried for the third time this month for giving the Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG), to the charity that has ties with Trudeau's family. 

"I made a mistake not recusing myself immediately from the discussions, given our family's history. And I'm sincerely sorry," Trudeau told a news conference.

This came after the youth welfare NGO admitted paying CA $3,00,000 to Trudeau's mother, brother and wife for speaking engagements. Meanwhile, the opposition-Conservative party has can constantly demand an investigation into the matter accusing Trudeau of favouritism. 

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'Did not know the details' 

Speaking further on the topic,  Truedue admitted that he knew his mother Margret was working as an advocate on mental health with the WE charity, however, he said that he did not know much details about their work.

"I didn't know the details of how much she was getting paid by various organizations, but I should have and I deeply regret that," he said.

Apart from Trudeau, the country’s finance minister Bill Morneau, whose daughters worked with the charity also apologized for not stepping away from the contract talks.  

On July 4, the ethics commissioner's office announced that it will look into whether Trudeau broke rules while picking WE Charity to administer the Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG), a government program for post-secondary students to take part in service activities supporting communities during the era of COVID-19, which in return will help them earn necessary funds for tuition and other expenses.

According to reports, Prime Minister and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau regularly appear at charity events organised by the WE Charity. Sophie Gregoire also hosts a podcast on WE Charity's website. Following the controversy, WE Charity has decided to pass on the program's operations to the Canadian government, which was outsourced to them as a partner. 

Questions have been asked about the program’s origin, about the concept of outsourcing the program’s operations, about the choice of WE Charity as the government’s partner, and the underlying merit of paid service. Our concern is that to continue in this way, the program itself will begin to suffer – and as a consequence, opportunities for students might be negatively affected. 

Read: Canadian PM Justin Trudeau Faces Another Ethics Probe Over CSSG Program

Read: Canada's Financial Deficit Could Increase Tenfold Due To COVID-19: Finance Minister

Image : AP