Finance Committee on July 22nd, 2020

[Michelle Kovacevic]

Thank you.

I can only tell you the facts as I understand them and know them. They are that on April 20 there was one conversation between my minister's office and WE, which I have already discussed. Outside of that, other than my own conversation with Rachel and WE on the 24th, I am unaware of any other contact at all, and I can't speak to that question.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Thank you.

We will go to the last round, of four minutes apiece. The lineup will be Mr. Cooper, Mr. Fragiskatos, Mr. Morantz and Ms. Koutrakis.

Mr. Cooper.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to thank the witness.

I want to get a better understanding of how WE came up. You mentioned, as I understood your timeline, that the possibility of WE came up in an email discussion on April 16 from ESDC. Am I right?

[Michelle Kovacevic]

You are correct.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Who raised that from ESDC?

[Michelle Kovacevic]

That would have been my colleague Rachel Wernick.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Prior to that time you had never heard anyone bring up WE, other than on April 9 when you said there was some stakeholder feedback in which 12 charities were identified. Is that correct?

[Michelle Kovacevic]

That's correct. April 16, according to my records, was the first time that WE entered into a broad-ranging discussion. We had not even settled on a grant. We are talking about a tuition credit—

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Fine. I got that, but on April 9, during that same day as the stakeholder feedback session, WE submitted a proposal. Is that right?

[Michelle Kovacevic]

I became aware of that proposal on April 19, when ESDC shared it with me.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

That's not my question. My question is this: There was a proposal from WE submitted on that date, April 9. Is that right?

[Michelle Kovacevic]

Yes.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Who was it sent from?

[Michelle Kovacevic]

I don't have any knowledge of that.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Will you undertake to find out?

[Michelle Kovacevic]

I can do my best to do that, sir. All I can say is that I received it on the 19th.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

That's fine. I understand that.

Who was it sent to? I presume you don't know that either.

[Michelle Kovacevic]

I don't.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

It was sent to Finance. The minister's spokesperson admitted that.

[Michelle Kovacevic]

That's right. The minister said that himself.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Were you aware of any other proposals that were submitted on April 9 or prior to that?

[Michelle Kovacevic]

I am not aware of any, sir.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

You're not aware of any, okay.

We have this proposal from WE. In terms of what happened after that, you briefed.... To backtrack a little bit, you talked about the fact that you considered a number of organizations before April 9 in broad terms to potentially administer some sort of student program. Is that correct?

[Michelle Kovacevic]

April 6, 7, 8, the very early days—

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Yes. I get that. Thank you for that—