Trudeau Laughs Off WE Scandal

 Because he thinks that he has gotten away with it:

When Trudeau was asked about if he stood by his initial statement that he had first heard about the WE rollout on May 8, despite an internal memo from the PMO was "weighing in" as of April 20, Trudeau discussed the importance of the N95 project for Ontario and Canada.

Trudeau then forgot the question. When asking to be reminded of what the question was, Trudeau said that it was "something far less important than N95 masks."

 

(Sidebar: so, where were those masks in late January and February? You know, after you handed sixteen tonnes of OUR personal protective equipment to China and claimed without cause that this country was prepared for yet another epidemic but wasn't? Did you forget that question, you [redacted]?)

 

This scandal:

BREAKING: Treasury Board officials told Trudeau that WE Charity did not have capacity to handle contracthttps://t.co/7qTKhM0dyL

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 19, 2020

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When asked to analyze WE's role in the student job's program, Treasury Board officials concluded that there was no evidence that WE had "capacity to undertake this work, especially under accelerated timelines."

"Furthermore, the tracking of hours by a third-party may be challenging," they added. It may "result in potential integrity concerns should students not be honest about hours accrued." 

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Newly released federal documents have revealed contradictions in the prime minister's official story revolving the WE scandal.  

These documents were released as a result of the prime minister's controversial decision to prorogue parliament, effectively limiting the ability of parliamentary committees to consider the government's role in the WE scandal.  

Not only did these documents reveal that the $900 million contract was suggested by the Trudeau government, but it also details early PMO pressure and the fact that the WE organization made clear their closeness to the prime minister when they lobbied for a contract ...

 

(Sidebar: how very interesting.)

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Newly-disclosed records contradict testimony by ex-Finance Minister Bill Morneau that he had scant personal contact with a federal contractor, We Charity. The finance department released a series of “Hello Bill” emails from Craig Kielburger, co-founder of the charity: “They are all besties.”  

(Sidebar: they were totes besties! That's right - the government is run by eight year olds. This Morneau.)

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Federal employees in internal memos expressed astonishment at the cost of an untendered agreement to have We Charity manage a student aid program. The plan was to pay post-secondary students $10 an hour, but included $500 per hour fees for We Charity lawyers and six-figure payments to project managers: “Bit of a shit show.”

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We Charity highlighted Trudeau family members’ paid appearances with the group in appealing for a $43.5 million grant, according to documents. Internal memos indicate Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office was “weighing in” on the grant proposal weeks before the Prime Minister said he first heard of it: “We have the documents right here.”

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Suspension of Parliament has delayed disclosure of speaking fees paid to the Prime Minister’s wife and family. Justin Trudeau as a first-term MP personally collected almost $300,000 in talent fees from unidentified sponsors: “That way we could at least limit the damage we’re about to cause.”

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The public service did indeed recommend WE. That is true. But WE was recommended after the Trudeau government — not just the public service, but cabinet ministers or their staff — was actively working with WE. The recommendation of the public service, though undenied, did not happen in a vacuum, nor was it generated neutrally. It took place against a backdrop of active lobbying by WE and communication about the matter at high levels of the Trudeau government.

This turns the Liberal narrative on its head. Trudeau and his senior ministers and aides have thus far used the public service as armour, putting it between themselves and the scandal. They cop only to sloppiness. But we know from these documents — sections of which remain redacted — that while the public service recommended WE to the prime minister on May 13, cabinet minister Bardish Chagger was communicating directly with WE as early as April 17, and that a policy adviser in Morneau’s office was communicating with WE as early as April 20. Indeed, WE’s Craig Kielburger even sent Chagger an email on April 22, thanking her for her “suggestion” of a student support program.

This hubris only works if certain parties forget to bring it up in the fall:

Mr. Trudeau is hiding from the truth, Conservative MP Michael Barrett said Wednesday. “This is about one thing and one thing only,” he said.

Mr. Barrett was referring to Mr. Trudeau’s request to prorogue Parliament as MPs on the House of Commons finance committee gained access to thousands of pages of government documents on Tuesday regarding a now-cancelled $543.5-million agreement with WE Charity to administer a program for students.

Peruse the WE documents at one's leisure and follow Pierre Poilievre's Twitter feed before they go down the memory-hole.

 

Justin believes he has earned some sort of reprieve from yet another one of his messes because he is a [redacted] who likes to  [redacted].