Reviews by Justice Goudge
Reviews by Justice Goudge
As part of this commitment to transparency, and our drive toward continuous improvement, we have subjected every aspect of our organization – from program impacts and finances to our workplace culture and the co-founders – to rigorous examination by the Honourable Stephen Goudge, a respected Canadian jurist who served on the Ontario Court of Appeal from 1996 to 2014. In 2013, Justice Goudge received the Law Foundation of Ontario’s Guthrie Award for his outstanding contributions to Canada’s justice system.
Independent Review #1
In 2018, Justice Goudge conducted an independent review of ME to WE’s purpose, its relationship and contributions to WE Charity, and the role of founders Craig and Marc Kielburger. Justice Goudge also examined the Track Your Impact program for transparency and results. He concluded that:
ME to WE is a social enterprise with a clear social purpose.
ME to WE and WE Charity’s agreements and processes are “clear, transparent, and provide for a proper basis for the relationship between the two organizations.”
ME to WE’s “contributions provide very meaningful support for the goals, projects, and mission of WE Charity.”
The Kielburger brothers do not obtain any undue benefits from any WE organizations.
Independent Review #2
In April 2019, Justice Goudge reviewed WE’s workplace culture, policies and leadership, including examinations of:
The journey of WE’s younger staff
Employee compensation
Health and safety policies and practices at WE
Policies and practices regarding harassment at WE
WE’s overall policies
WE’s senior leadership
His findings include:
“It is my view that WE has a healthy workplace culture.”
WE is a good place for staff to work, either as a jumping-off point to another career or for the long term. “This kind of experience is invaluable for talented young people starting out.”
“WE’s staff are compensated in line with employees of similar experience and skill at similarly-sized non-profit organizations. WE’s employees also benefit from a comprehensive package of health and wellness benefits, professional development opportunities, and state-of-the-art facilities in Toronto.”
WE’s harassment policies and procedures are “both comprehensive and compliant” with the law.
Independent Review #3
Finally, in a thorough and independent assessment of WE’s co-founders and WE’s reporting protocols, Justice Goudge examined:
WE’s compensation of Craig and Marc Kielburger
Whether there are reasonable protocols in place to generate, verify, and evaluate WE’s budgets and reporting
Whether WE has used credible third-party organizations to conduct independent reviews of its programs
The findings of this independent review, include:
Craig and Marc’s compensation (100% drawn from ME to WE), Justice Goudge found that “neither Marc nor Craig Kielburger have received any form of salary from WE Charity or its predecessor, Free the Children.”
“WE has protocols in place to produce and verify the accuracy of these reports.”
“Based on my review of documents provided by WE, Mission Measurement appears to be a credible, well-respected organization within the social innovation sphere.”
As part of our commitment to transparency, we have published all of Justice Goudge’s reports online. To learn more about his findings, follow the links below.
Documents
