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“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

CATHY MCLEOD – On one hand the WE scandal stalled student grant program ... on the other hand we have Community Boosters working together

The big losers in this whole WE scandal mess are students and charities who would have been mutually benefiting each other by now had the new $912M Canada Student Service Grant program not drowned in scandal.

The Prime Minister announced the program April 23, and on June 25, we learned WE Charity would manage it.

Since then it’s come to light that Justin Trudeau’s family members were paid $566,000 for involvement in WE Charity events, and Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s two daughters also have WE ties. Additionally, WE paid $41,000 for two vacations for Morneau’s family in 2017, money he only repaid last week.

So both Trudeau and Morneau are under investigation by the federal Ethics Commissioner for potential conflict of interest and are in the hot seat with questions from three different House of Commons committees, not to mention the media.
It’s basic stuff that elected officials recuse themselves from discussions, decisions, debates or votes on issues where they might have a conflict of interest.

Both Trudeau and Morneau have now apologized for not stepping away from discussions about awarding the contract to WE, and WE has left the presently-stalled program to be run by government.

But the apologies ring hollow given both politicians have been found guilty of ethics violations before.

It’s a real shame as it was entirely avoidable.


WORKING TOGETHER – Community Boosters

Ron and Judy Boehm ... have looked after the Cariboo Pioneer Centre for almost 20 years. Used for seniors’ events and more, it’s an important fixture in Lac la Hache and received monies from the Emergency Community Support Fund.

To help vulnerable Canadians during the pandemic, the Federal Government launched the $350-million Emergency Community Support Fund. United Way Thompson Nicola Cariboo was entrusted to give out $650,000 to area charities and congratulations go to:

Kamloops:
A Way Home Kamloops Society ... Kamloops Art Council ... ASK Wellness ... Chris Rose Therapy Centre for Autism ... Centre for Seniors Information ... Elizabeth Fry Society ... Family Resources Society ... Food Policy Council ... Food Bank Society ... Kamloops-Cariboo Regional Immigrants Society ... Interior Community Services ... Salvation Army ... Out of the Cold Shelter Society ... Society for Alcohol and Drug Services ... Pit Stop ... Pregnancy Care Centre Society ... and ... Volunteer Kamloops.

Barriere and Clearwater:
Barriere Secondary School ... Clearwater Secondary School ... and the District of Clearwater

South Cariboo:
100 Mile House Food Bank and Cariboo Family Enrichment Centre in 100 Mile House ... and the Cariboo Pioneer Centre in Lac la Hache

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