WE Charity and the Canada Student Service Grant

The true scandal is the loss of WE Charity in Canada

When WE Charity responded to a request for help from federal government bureaucrat Rachel Wernick to launch a youth program during the pandemic, a series of unfortunate events were launched that, in just 147 days, led to the heart-breaking and difficult decision to announce the wind-down of WE Charity Canada.

This was not the WE Charity Scandal. That was an unfortunate name and hashtag created by politicians and media that stuck. This was a government issue and a government decision. The government originated the idea for the program. The government led the procurement process. The Prime Minister and Finance Minister chose to participate in the cabinet vote awarding of the Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG).

A review of the 5000+ pages of government documents released on the subject makes evident that the program idea originated with the government, during the procurement discussions multiple potential partners and service providers were considered, and that the appropriate bureaucrat approached WE Charity with a request to submit a proposal for consideration.

WE Charity had the best of intentions. We were financially sound and not looking for a hand-out. When asked by the government to help students during a pandemic, we were willing to step-up.

WE Charity has significant experience running youth programs, including engaging students in 7,000 Canadian schools and building a U.S. school service program active in all fifty states. At the request of the relevant bureaucrat, WE Charity quickly mobilized to come up with a proposal. The program development was a success, as WE Charity built a coalition of 80+ non-profits, and when the program launched, had placements ready for 25,000 plus youth from diverse communities.

WE Charity has always acknowledged that there have been prior relationships with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and former Finance Minister Morneau and their families. WE Charity was one of the largest charities in the country, and politicians of all stripes have appeared at the apolitical WE Day events and participated in global humanitarian trips. The Clerk of the Privy Council, Ian Shugart testified during finance committee hearings that the bureaucracy approached and recommended WE Charity for the program.

It is extremely unfortunate that young people in Canada will no longer be able to benefit from the full offering of WE Charity programs, such as Sacred Circle provided youth Indigenous leadership training, and WE Are Social Entrepreneurs that helped youth launch their own social purpose programs. When WE Charity started in Canada in 1995 youth were the least likely of any age range to volunteer; today, they are among the most likely demographic to volunteer. On Sept. 9, 2020, WE Charity announced it will be selling its assets to establish an endowment fund to sustain the charity's existing international humanitarian programs and digitize its Canadian educational resources for long-term access.

Watch Matt Torigian speak to his report

Matt Torigian, the former Deputy Solicitor General of Ontario, reports on his findings regarding WE Charity. Mr. Torigian was also the Chief of Police for Waterloo and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. Currently he is a Distinguished Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. He and his team reviewed more than 5,000 pages of emails, documents, and other relevant material released by federal government departments to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance, as well more 364 documents that WE Charity provided to the Standing Committee on Finance in satisfaction of prior undertakings. He found:

The idea for the Canada Student Service Grant originated with the Government of Canada (not WE Charity).
The Government considered multiple potential venders (Shopify, Volunteer Canada, United Way etc.)
The Government approached WE Charity through the proper bureaucratic channel to submit a proposal.
The Clerk of the Privy Counsel confirmed that the proper bureaucrats recommended WE Charity

To review Matt Torigian’s full report click HERE.

Dr. Al Rosen's Report

Dr. Al Rosen, a specialist in Investigative and Forensic Accounting (CA-IFA) reviewed the financials of WE Charity. He is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and a specialist in Investigative and Forensic Accounting (CA-IFA). He has provided expert testimony in jurisdictions across Canada, including the Supreme Court of Canada. His report also includes analysis from Froese Forensic, one of Canada’s largest independent financial investigative firms.

Read Dr. Rosen's full report HERE.

Craig and Marc Kielburger being interviewed by CTV news anchor Lisa LaFlamme

CTV News Interview

In order to ensure that accurate information about WE Charity is available to all, Craig and Marc Kielburger sat down for an hour-long in-depth interview with CTV News Anchor Lisa LaFlamme.

Timeline of events

OCTOBER 2017 Rachel Wernick (Senior Assistant Deputy Minister at ESDC) visits WE offices in Toronto and takes a tour of the WE Global Learning Centre (WE GLC). During this visit she informed WE about the Government of Canada’s Youth Service Initiative (YSI) for the first time – this was the precursor program for the government’s Canada Service Corps.

JUNE 29, 2018 WE was awarded a $887,155 grant under the Youth Service Initiative to design, test and build insights on youth engagement and service programs in-school and out-of-school.

MAY 19, 2019 At ESDC’s request, WE prepared a concept paper discussing how the Government of Canada could help create a culture of service in Canada through a national framework engaging diverse youth in service. This concept paper was shared with the Youth Secretariat and ESDC senior public servants.

AUGUST 21, 2019 WE was awarded $3,000,000 contribution agreement under ESDC’s Social Development Partnerships Program to implement WE’s Social Enterprise Project. This project would support the creation of approximately 200 youth-led micro social enterprises and help the growth of 30 existing social enterprises led by founders under 35 years of age.

APRIL 19, 2020 Rachel Wernick calls Craig Kielburger to discuss the government’s plan to launch the Canada Student Service Grant program and asks WE to build a proposal based on broad policy objectives.

APRIL 22, 2020 Prime Minister Trudeau announces various student support programs, including the initial announcement of CSSG. That same day, WE Charity submits the requested proposal to Rachel Wernick and relevant officials.

JUNE 23, 2020 Contribution agreement is signed by both, WE and the Government of Canada (ESDC)

JUNE 25, 2020 Prime Minister Trudeau announces launch of CSSG.

JULY 3, 2020 Both parties agree to terminate the contribution agreement.

The Fallacies and Facts

Read about the top 10 fallacies and facts about WE Charity and the organization's involvement in the Canada Student Service Grant HERE.

Scott Baker, WE Charity’s Chief Operating Officer answered some common questions about WE Charity in an article published in Foundation Magazine which you can read HERE.

WE Charity & the Canada Student Service Grant