Information & Ethics Committee on March 15th, 2021

[Craig Kielburger]

Sure. For context, we did 12 WE Days, which are celebrations that bring youth together from all across the province for service and volunteer programs. We helped engage 400 schools in the province of Quebec and had partnerships with school districts and post-secondary non-profit partners across the province. We've had a full-time presence in the province for a decade, engaging students. We delivered on government programs previously in Quebec that had received supports. For example, we were running a program for youth social entrepreneurship that ESDC had previously funded. We put that out for Quebec students to join.

Before all this, we were proud to have been the largest youth service organization in the country and fully bilingual, engaging young people from coast to coast to coast.

[Patricia Lattanzio, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Were there any documents or contractual obligations between you and the government with regard to providing this service in French in Quebec? If so, would you be able to provide us a copy of the said contract?

[Craig Kielburger]

Yes, absolutely. We would be happy to provide that to you. In fact, we previously did, to the FINA committee, but we're happy to provide it again.

[Patricia Lattanzio, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

We did not receive it, so for the record, I ask that you to provide it to this committee.

Can you tell us what the state of the WE Charity's operations is in Canada today? I'm not too sure if my colleague Monsieur Fortin asked you that question, but for the record, I would like to hear you on WE Charity's operation in Canada and Quebec today.

[Craig Kielburger]

To answer your question, it is a tragedy what is happening. In September, we made the hardest choice we've ever had to make. We announced the wind down of 25 years of work in this country. The people who lost their jobs had been with us since the beginning just trying to help youth, and 7,000 schools in Canada are going to be impacted as a result of this. We are doing our best to try to move resources online in perpetuity, but the impact is devastating for youth in Quebec and across Canada.

[Marc Kielburger]

There are so many schools. We used to work in 7,000 schools across the country, and we will not be able to do that. We were providing amazing things like mental health resources. These are schools in Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands, for example. We will not be able to work with Thousand Islands Secondary School anymore, nor with Brockville Collegiate Institute; Westminster Public School; Wellington Elementary School, in Prescott; schools in James Bay; Kirkland Lake District Composite School; and the Northern Collegiate Institute & Vocational School. They were very active in promoting the CSSG to their students. Moose Factory—

[The Chair, Conservative, Chris Warkentin]

Thank you, Mr. Kielburger. The time for those questions is now up.

We will turn to Monsieur Fortin for the next round of questions.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Kielburger, you were just listing off schools where you were no longer able to work.

Quickly, can you tell us why you are no longer able to work in those schools?

[Craig Kielburger]

It is because WE Charity in Canada is closing, sir, because of the politics.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

I see. Thank you.

My question is for either Craig or Marc Kielburger. To your knowledge, did the federal government do its due diligence on the WE group before signing the contract last spring?

[Craig Kielburger]

The Clerk of the Privy Council would be best able to speak to that and he said, yes, they did. We trust him and wouldn't have.... All we know is that we answered every question asked of us.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Who asked you the questions that you answered?

[Craig Kielburger]

Of course, multiple individuals at ESDC asked questions during the vetting process.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

What did they ask you about?

[Craig Kielburger]

It's important to provide context to this. In 2017, Rachel Wernick, from ESDC, came to visit our offices. In 2018, they gave us an $800,000 grant to test—

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

I know that, Mr. Kielburger. Thank you.

In the spring of 2020, when you were awarded the $43-million contract to administer the student grants, were you asked any questions about the WE group's financial situation?

[Craig Kielburger]

I would be happy to answer your question, but I think it's important, to your previous question, to understand that this didn't come out of the blue. In 2017—

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

I'm talking about 2020 only.

[Craig Kielburger]

They asked us questions—

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

I have a minute left, Mr. Kielburger. I wish I had all day to talk to you, but I don't.

I am asking you about 2020.

[Craig Kielburger]

I understand. My apologies. We gave the financial documents, including our audits, and the various documents you'd imagine WE Charity would offer to provide.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

What financial documents relating to WE Charity did you provide the government, at its request?

[Marc Kielburger]

All of our documents[Technical difficulty—Editor].

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

In May 2020, the minister told us that an additional due diligence process would be carried out.

Were you aware that WE Charity was apparently scrutinized twice?

[Craig Kielburger]

We were not aware of that, but would defer to the civil service if that's what they did.