We may never get the full story on WE

OTTAWA—Ottawa hung around in August for some 5,000 pages of information on the controversial WE Charity potential student grant program. The released records produced a few tidbits about the rushed start up and now cancelled student grant program. But about one-third of the produced records were blanked out, mostly excluded as cabinet records. NDP MP Charlie Angus said he believes the documents that were released help show that the failed program was not driven by government officials, but by cabinet with pressure from WE Charity. Though all relevant documentation has not been provided, the severed records released do hint at the buddy relationships of officials and ministers with WE Charity's Kielburger brothers. Only later did the Kielburgers register as lobbyists, after some of their representations came to light because of the released documents. The House of Commons law clerk indicated that the the records were excessively redacted and not complete enough. That's because the response received did not respect the House of Commons Finance Committee's order for the production of records that supersedes Access to Information's claimed exemptions. Some opposition MPs are calling this ignoring of Parliament's wishes a coverup. Conservative MPs, after Trudeau prorogued Parliament, called upon the WE Charity to release additional records that the Kielburgers said they would hand over during their committee testimony. WE Charity lawyers only said to wait until Parliament comes back in late September. WE Charity's co-founders Marc and Craig Kielburger, pictured speaking to the House Finance Committee on July 28, 2020. Photograph courtesy House of Commons The records released to date, for instance, do not show any knowledge that any WE Charity payments involving the Trudeau and Morneau families. Much too could have been conveyed orally or via private emails between WE Charity's Kielburger brothers and officials from the PM down. One of the involved federal agencies, the Privy Council Office, indicated that providing notes about their interactions with the WE Charity between 2017 and 2020, as well as more clarity on the documents released to the Finance Committee, would take at least five months. The current government has refused to put the Prime Minister's Office and cabinet under the scope of access-to-information legislation, and does not want a strong review of the duty to document its operations. Many other access-to-information requests can result in receiving thousands of pages heavily redacted, months or years later. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured July 30, 2020, appearing remotely before the House Finance Committee as its members conducted a study an investigation into the ongoing WE Charity scandal. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Proroguing Parliament for a month cut off the investigations by the House Finance Committee, but Parliament will return, and investigations by the committee, the ethics commissioner, the RCMP and others, likely including the Canada Revenue Agency, will continue. However, challenging the completeness of the records provided about the cancelled student grant program will be difficult. It's ironic that Parliament itself and its committees are not fully transparent on their affairs either, as they are not covered as part of a strengthened Access to Information Act. Yet they want more data from the government. Thank goodness that the media dug around to get a better, more transparent picture of the WE Charity practices not found on the WE Charity's website or public commentaries. Still, we are left with a sinking feeling that much may never become public. One final note: over two years ago, I was approached for input by a WE Charity ghost writer who was putting together a Kielburger column on transparency. That column never appeared. Ken Rubin can be reached at kenrubin.ca. The Hill Times

We may never get the full story on WE

Limitations on the Access to Information Act and government heel-dragging could make it difficult to ever see the full truth behind the WE Charity controversy.

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We may never get the full story on WE

Limitations on the Access to Information Act and government heel-dragging could make it difficult to ever see the full truth behind the WE Charity controversy.

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