Sunday, June 2, 2024
ADVT 
National

Tories ask watchdog to probe WE Charity deals

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 02 Jul, 2020 07:28 PM
  • Tories ask watchdog to probe WE Charity deals

The Conservatives are asking the federal procurement watchdog to review the circumstances around several sole-sourced contracts between the Liberal government and WE Charity.

That includes an arrangement that will see the Toronto-based youth organization manage a $900-million federal program for student volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

That sole-source contract has prompted questions about a potential conflict of interest, as both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau have connections to WE.

The Conservatives referenced those ties in their letter to procurement ombudsman Alexander Jeglic today, listing five other sole-sourced contracts between the charity and Ottawa.

The amounts for those other contracts range from $13,000 to $40,000 — small enough they were not required to be advertised for competitive bids.

Trudeau has said the non-partisan public service concluded the WE organization was the only group in Canada capable of running the volunteer program.

MORE National ARTICLES

Safe, clean campsites to be made available for seasonal fruit pickers in B.C.

Safe, clean campsites to be made available for seasonal fruit pickers in B.C.
One campsite is planned for the Oliver area in the southern Okanagan and two more are slated for Creston in southeastern B.C., with the province providing about $60,000 for each site.

Safe, clean campsites to be made available for seasonal fruit pickers in B.C.

Privacy commissioners in B.C., Ontario, order LifeLabs to improve security

Privacy commissioners in B.C., Ontario, order LifeLabs to improve security
A joint investigation by the privacy commissioners of Ontario and British Columbia says Lifelabs failed to put in place reasonable safeguards to protect the personal health information of millions of Canadians.

Privacy commissioners in B.C., Ontario, order LifeLabs to improve security

Advocacy groups question Vancouver street check review, call for ban

Advocacy groups question Vancouver street check review, call for ban
Advocacy groups are questioning the validity of a Vancouver police board review of street checks after an incident reported by the authors didn't make it into the published final copy.

Advocacy groups question Vancouver street check review, call for ban

Bowing to Beijing would put 'an awful lot more Canadians' at risk, Trudeau says

Bowing to Beijing would put 'an awful lot more Canadians' at risk, Trudeau says
Trudeau did not budge from his stance that it would send the wrong message to drop extradition proceedings against Chinese telecommunications executive Meng Wanzhou in the hope of winning freedom for entrepreneur Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig.

Bowing to Beijing would put 'an awful lot more Canadians' at risk, Trudeau says

Numbers of large wild Atlantic salmon dipped to near historic lows in 2019

Numbers of large wild Atlantic salmon dipped to near historic lows in 2019
The Atlantic Salmon Federation's annual "State of Wild Atlantic Salmon Report" released today indicates returns for large salmon were the third lowest in the past five decades.

Numbers of large wild Atlantic salmon dipped to near historic lows in 2019

Trudeau launches student support, defends fiscal record after credit-rating cut

Trudeau launches student support, defends fiscal record after credit-rating cut
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended his government's fiscal record on Thursday as it launched several new programs promising billions of dollars in new support for students.

Trudeau launches student support, defends fiscal record after credit-rating cut