Note from Ed.: The hyuge sums mentioned in this post are expressed in Canadian dollars. At the moment, the beaverbuck (or "loonie", as Canucks call it) is worth about 74 cents in real money.
About a quarter-century ago, brothers (((Craig Kielburger))) and (((Marc Kielburger))), then barely teenagers, founded a couple of organizations in a Toronto suburb. According to the Jewish Independent, one was called "Free the Children", a registered charity whose mission is: "Free children from poverty. Free children from exploitation. Free children from the idea that they are powerless to change the world."
The other is "ME to WE". Described as a "social enterprise with a mission," Me to We "sells socially conscious and environmentally friendly clothes, books and music – as well as life-changing experiences. We also provide inspiring speakers, leadership training and transformative travel experiences.... Half of Me to We's profit is donated to its charitable partner, Free the Children." So that's all right, then.
Then came "WE Charity", co-founded by the brothers (((Kielburger))) and a lady named Roxanne Joyal. WE Charity describes itself as "an international charity and educational partner [which] operates collaborative programs both domestically and internationally. In the US, Canada, and the UK, WE Day and WE Schools are initiatives of WE Charity that educate and empower young people.... WE Day is a series of inspiring events that celebrate youth making a difference in their local and global communities."
WE Day is a hyuge entertainment event which gets hyuge coverage from Canada's controlled media. Along with other WE events, it features lots of people with celebrity status and hyuge star power, notably the Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of All Canuckistan. Yes, Mr Socks is a hyuge fan of WE, and does everything in his power to help them do good.
But the desire to help the yoof of Canada and the world doesn't stop with Just In. The whole Trudeau family is involved. His mother, Margaret, makes frequent appearances at WE Day and other events, talking about mental health, with which she has some experience. So does brother Alexandre, and even Justin's cute blonde wife, Sophie Gregoire, has appeared on occasion.
Isn't that wonderful of Justin and his family, to support WE so wholeheartedly? So virtuous! So eager to help! And so generous with their time and effort. Right? Errr, not quite. Within the last few days, some embarrassing news has emerged in the wake of M Trudeau's government's decision to give WE Charity a sole-sourced (read: no competition) contract to administer the latest Liberal giveaway of taxpayers' money -- the Canada Student Service Grant programme.
As I said, Mr Socks is happy to do everything in his power to help his favourite charity... and his friends... and his family. It turns out Mama Margaret, unlike other "stars" who've appeared onstage with the (((Kielburgers))) et al, has been getting paid. How much? She has received for her "work", both before and after her son became PM, a total not unadjacent to C$250,000.
Brother Alexandre got less than 1/8th of that amount, araound C$30,000. And Sophie Gregoire Trudeau got a paltry $1500, and that was before her hubby became PM, so that's OK then.
But (the Liberal apologists are saying) those payments were made by ME to WE and WE Charity before the contract (since quickily cancelled) was let. So where's the conflict? How about this.... The National Post reports today that M Trudeau asked WE Charity to host a 2017 Canada Day weekend event on Parliament Hill, for which the government (read: taxpayers) paid $1,180,000. And yes, Mama Margaret was a featured speaker at the event, as was her son.
The same year, WE produced a campaign-style ad that appears to promote Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government while also doubling as a promo for the charity. Just a coincidence, probably.
Yes, there's conflicts aplenty in the relationship between the (((Kielburgers))) and the Trudeaus. But did Justin Trudeau consider this when the contract to run the $900,000,000 Student Services Grant programme was talked about around the cabinet table? Did he recuse himself from the discussion? Did he take no part in the decision? Errr, no.
And what did Mr Socks have to say for himself, once the media (even the CBC!) started asking questions? "I'm sorry. I should have known." That's pretty much all he said. It's the classic George Costanza defence, one on Seinfeld fans' favourite "George moments". Here's the clip.
Today's revelations cannot but intensify calls for Prime Minister Trudeau to resign, or at least step aside, and leave running the government to his deputy, the fragrant Chrystia Freeland. (The plain people of Canada cry, "Oh noooooo!!!) More excrement should interface with the air conditioning device today or tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Further reading: "When 'sorry' doesn't cut it anymore", by our old pal Rex Murphy, in the National Post, 15/7/20.
Another video to watch: Max Bernier, leader of the People's Party of Canada talks about the WE Charity Liberal scam. 15/7/20.
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