Ethics Committee votes to summon Kielburgers to testify on WE Charity scandal

The Commons Ethics Committee unanimously voted on Monday to summon the Kielburger brothers to testify in relation to the WE Charity scandal.

WE Charity, one of the most well-known charities in Canada, became the subject of intense controversy during the summer of 2020 after it received a no-bid contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal government to run a summer jobs program for young people.

Questions immediately arose surrounding the decision to pick WE Charity to run the program given its intricate connections to Liberal Party leaders. The Trudeau family had profited over $400,000 from WE Charity over the years, and former Finance Minister Marc Garneau, who resigned in the wake of the scandal, had received tens of thousands of dollars worth of gifts in the past from WE Charity, which also employed his daughter. Neither Justin Trudeau nor Garneau recused themselves from the meeting where the decision to work with WE Charity was made.

The program was ultimately cancelled and a lengthy investigation into WE Charity's relationship with the government was launched by the Ethics Committee.

Craig and Mark Kielburger refused to show up to testify before the committee last week, a decision which sparked frustration from members of all parties,  National Post reports.

However, with the unanimous vote, the requirement for the Kielburgers to testify becomes legally binding, and they have until Friday to appear before the committee. Refusal to testify could lead to the Kielburgers being held in contempt of parliament, which could result in jail time for the pair.

Committees having to forcefully summon individuals to testify is relatively uncommon, but not unheard of. Bruce Aylward, former assistant director-general of the World Health Organization, was summoned to testify before the committee last year for questions related to the coronavirus pandemic. However, nobody has been found guilty of contempt of Parliament for refusing to testify in over 100 years.

Some MPs, such as NDP MP Charlie Angus, have suggested that the committee investigation does not go far enough. He has repeatedly called for the RCMP and the Canada Revenue Agency to investigate the charity over its conduct.

The charity has argued that launching an investigation by the RCMP and CRA would be unfair given their ongoing investigation by the Ethics Committee, which they have described as "partisan."