Information & Ethics Committee on March 15th, 2021

[The Chair, Conservative, Chris Warkentin]

Mr. Kielburger, can you answer the question so that we can move on to the next questioner?

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Yes. Come on—please.

[The Chair, Conservative, Chris Warkentin]

Mr. Kielburger.

[Craig Kielburger]

We had worked with ESDC for years, including at the request [Technical difficulty—Editor] had funded us previously on service. Ms. Wernick had been deeply involved with us. At her request—she asked our help—we delivered the help to help kids.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

You didn't mention that. You said Chagger asked you to help on the—

[The Chair, Conservative, Chris Warkentin]

Mr. Angus, we might get a chance to come back to you.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Chris Warkentin]

Monsieur Gourde, we will turn to you.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to know when the first meeting between Justin Trudeau and the witnesses took place.

[Marc Kielburger]

This was all before he was an elected member of Parliament. He was involved in youth service.

[Craig Kielburger]

Oh, Katimavik—that's why.

[Marc Kielburger]

Katimavik, yes; he was involved in youth service programming, as of course we were. This was well over a decade ago. Our areas around youth leadership and youth programming had intersected. Of course, he was involved with Katimavik, which is a wonderful organization.

[Craig Kielburger]

He was chair of Katimavik, in fact. That's the conversation.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

So we're talking about twenty years or more.

[Marc Kielburger]

I think it was about 10 years or so...?

[Craig Kielburger]

It was about 10 to 15.

[Marc Kielburger]

Yes.

It was 10 to 15 years or somewhere in that range. Again, this was before he was an elected official.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

That's fine.

Over the years, have you developed a friendship? By a friendship, I mean that you have his cellphone number and he has yours, and you have conversations from time to time, maybe once a month or once every two months, about anything.

[Marc Kielburger]

The answer is no.

We would also share, for Mr. Poilievre, that we weren't friends on LinkedIn with him either.

[Craig Kielburger]

We never had his cellphone.

[Marc Kielburger]

No.

[Craig Kielburger]

I don't know if he ever had ours. We certainly never had his cellphone. We've never had a meal together socially. We've never golfed.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

So you knew him well and you invited him. He had already participated in WE Charity events.

In what year was the first event that you attended with him?

[Marc Kielburger]

If I'm not mistaken, it was one of the WE Days about a decade ago or maybe a little longer than that. We shared this information with FINA. We'd be happy to provide the information again. It was well over a decade ago.

[Craig Kielburger]

I think it was when he was chair of Katimavik—I think it was 2007 he was chair, wrapping up—we invited Katimavik and him in that capacity. I think he didn't come, but maybe the next year he did.

Again, this was before politics, in the Katimavik role.