Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was sorry he didn’t recuse himself from a cabinet vote that gave nearly a billion dollars to a charity that had given his family members hundreds of thousands of dollars..“I made a mistake in not recusing myself immediately from the discussions given our family’s history, and I’m sincerely sorry about not having done that,” Trudeau told reporters at a Monday press conference ..“When it came to this organization and this program, the involvement that I’d had in the past and that my family has, should have had me remove myself from those discussions and I’m sorry that I didn’t. I’m particularly sorry because not only has it created unnecessary controversy and issues, it also means that young people who are facing a difficult time right now getting summer jobs, contributing to their communities, are going to have to wait a little longer before getting those opportunities to serve, and that’s frustrating.”.It was Trudeau’s first public comments after it emerged last week the WE organization had paid his mother $250,000, his brother $32,000 and his wife $1,400 to appear at WE events..In April, Trudeau announced a new program called the Canada Student Service Grant that promised to pay to students who volunteer over the summer.. POLL: Many Albertans say they will ignore Christmas COVID lockdown .Management of the $900-million program was outsourced to WE Charity. WE Charity would be paid at least $19.5-million to run the program..After controversy erupted, the WE organization withdrew from the program..Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion has announced that his office is investigating..WE Charity Co-Founders Craig Kielburger and Marc Kielburger issued a statement on the WE website..“… We respect the public concern that Margaret Trudeau and Alexandre Trudeau were paid past speaking honorariums,” they wrote..“The past two weeks have been extremely difficult. The charity’s integrity and purpose has been called into question. It has had direct impacts on our staff, supporters, and beneficiaries. We have made mistakes that we sincerely regret. It has led us to more closely examine our own internal structures, governance and organization..“In the days to come we will have more to say on these matters and about the organization’s future. For now, we wanted to set the record straight, take responsibility for our part, and refocus on the mission that started twenty-five years ago.”.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter.com/nobby7694
