Pierre Poilievre, MP
Opposition Member of Parliament
Certain members of Parliament played an outsized role in fueling misperceptions about the charity and its operations—chief among them Conservative Pierre Poilievre.
It’s no surprise that Conservative attack dog Pierre Poilievre was front and centre in trying to attack WE Charity and the Kielburgers in a proxy attack against his real target, Justin Trudeau.
It was clear that Pierre Poilievre’s playbook was along the lines of ‘the more you can smear WE Charity, the worse it will look for Justin Trudeau.’ And smear he did. But he did so knowing he had full legal immunity for anything he said in the House of Commons or Parliamentary Committees because of the power given to him by Parliamentary Privilege, a form of legal immunity that protects members of Parliament and Senators from being sued for what they say in the House or during Committee meetings.
During committee meetings, Pierre Poilievre acted like a schoolyard bully to witnesses, attacking and insulting them, interrupting and repeatedly threatening them. At one point the Chair of the committee warned he would shut down hearings if Pierre Poilievre continued his antics and personal attacks.
Pierre Poilievre worked closely with Charlie Angus as lead critics from the Right and Left, with Poilievre becoming the official leader of the opposition shortly thereafter. Neither Charlie Angus nor Pierre Poilievre would have been able to get away with their attacks without the veil of Parliamentary Privilege providing them legal immunity from false statements.
Kate Bahen from Charity Intelligence uses questionable tactics while operating a non-profit
What you should know
If Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had simply recused himself from involvement during the cabinet vote for the program, the entire WE Charity “scandal” would have been avoided. Justin Trudeau later apologized for not recusing himself. Nine months later, Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion cleared Justin Trudeau of any wrongdoing, but it was too little too late. It is not WE Charity's responsibility to manage the Government of Canada's perceived conflicts of interest.
See original mediaJustin Trudeau's comment that WE Charity was “the only organization in Canada” capable of delivering the program harmed, rather than helped, the situation from WE’s perspective. His statement shifted the spotlight from the government procurement process—which opposition politicians and the media had every right to scrutinize—to the charity. Justin Trudeau only appeared for ninety minutes of questioning before leaving for a vacation. Conversely, WE Charity representatives spent over 9 hours answering questions from Members of Parliament.
See original mediaEven though he formerly served as Minister of Youth, Justin Trudeau did not protect Canada’s largest youth organization, taking no personal responsibility for the organization’s downfall and showing no moral courage to speak up. He left tens of thousands of students without summer income thanks to his mishandling of the CSSG. Although he promised an alternative solution once WE Charity proactively removed itself from the program, he broke that promise as well, letting students down because it was more politically convenient to do so.
See original mediaCharlie Angus in the Press
The NDP’s Charlie Angus and The Decline of Canadian Politics.
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March 28, 2024
People Like Charlie Angus Are Part of the Problem of Toxic Politics. Not the Solution.
Article by Fair Press
October 4, 2023
Farewell, Charlie Angus. We’ll Clean Up the Damage You Caused.
Article by Fair Press
August 10, 2023
What you should know
Viciously attacked WE Charity and the Kielburgers in a proxy war against Justin Trudeau.
Hid behind his Parliamentary Privilege (legal immunity) to voice false statements attacking the charity.
Bullied and insulted witnesses in a manner unbecoming of a Member of Parliament.
What you should know
Made over 100 false statements about WE Charity in a matter of weeks.
Learn moreBrought a witness to the Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest who lied and attempted to extort the charity for $20M.
Learn moreFalsely accused WE Charity’s CFO of lying about having a brain aneurysm.
Listen to chapter 12What you should know
Charity Intelligence’s board and staff have direct and indirect ties to the Conservative Party of Canada, making significant donations to the party and its candidates.
Has a history of making false claims about charities, including statements about the Winnipeg Jets’ charitable foundation (True North Foundation).
In 2019, just before the CSSG, she and Charity Intelligence gave WE Charity an overall grade of “A” and then it was quickly downgraded to suit her political narrative.
Suggested reading
Rhetoric and Vitriol
Poilievre’s Trump-like attacks on WE Charity and its founders would have got him sued if it were not for the protections provided by Parliamentary Privilege.
Profanity and unprofessional language in public communications
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Ironically, Charlie Angus claims that Pierre Poilievre would do anything for short-term gain, showing great disdain towards him and his policies. Charlie Angus and Pierre Poilievre later teamed up as two prominent political figures alongside journalists to destroy WE Charity in Canada with political grandstanding and dishonest conduct.
This Tweet is demonstrative of the language and approach Charlie Angus uses as an elected official. He is prone to using profanity and demonstrating emotional instability in public communications, often on his official Twitter page.
Hiding behind “parliamentary privilege” to spread misinformation
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Charlie Angus was regularly called out for sharing false information about WE Charity Canada. In this particular case, he quietly deleted a Tweet that shared false information but didn’t acknowledge or apologize for posting it. As an elected member of parliament, Charlie Angus and others enjoy "parliamentary privilege", a legal immunity in which legislators are granted protection against civil or criminal liability for actions done or statements made within in the course of their legislative duties. This means that under Canadian law, MPs can spread false information under the guise of democracy without being held accountable.
Attacking a well-researched work that sets the record straight for personal reasons
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Tawfiq Rangwala is the #1 bestselling author of What WE Lost. Here, Charlie Angus reduces Rangwala's well-researched work, including nearly 500 footnotes, to a "tantrum". This is presumably because Charlie Angus did not like the factual contents of the book. Charlie Angus's false statements and dishonest conduct were meticulously documented by Rangwala, especially in1 andof What WE Lost.
Crass approach as an elected official
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Charlie Angus refers to a “**** ton of money” in relation to advertising for the What WE Lost book. The advertising was done by the publisher, Optimum Publishing International. This tweet once again shows Charlie Angus's crass approach, use of profanity, and emotionally volatile demeanor that he often directed at WE Charity.
Spreading misinformation and refusing to correct himself
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Another example of Charlie Angus spreading false information and refusing to correct himself, even though the accurate information was already on the public record. The total value of the CSSG contribution agreement was up to $543.5M, not “nearly a billion dollars” as Charlie Angus consistently shared. Charlie Angus was aware of the correct information yet falsely stated the inflated number dozens of times because it served as a better soundbite.
Regularly teaming up Pierre Poilievre and the opposition for political purposes
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Charlie Angus and Pierre Poilievre occupy polar opposite ends of the political spectrum and often attacked each other under normal circumstances, however, the unlikely duo then teamed up to attack and destroy WE Charity in Canada for their own political purposes. Both have had leadership ambitions - Pierre Poilievre became the leader official opposition shortly after the WE Charity saga. Charlie Angus had previously come second in the NDP leadership race.
Rhetoric and Vitriol
Poilievre’s Trump-like attacks on WE Charity and its founders would have got him sued if it were not for the protections provided by Parliamentary Privilege.
Used his position as an MP to harass charity staff
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Pierre Poilievre would regularly use his status as an elected official to bully and harass WE Charity Canada cofounders and staff. In this case, he threatened to have the cofounders arrested by a ceremonial figure in parliament called "The Sergeant-at-Arms" if they did not show up to answer his questions. WE Charity representatives spent over 9 hours answering parliamentary questions, whereas the Prime Minister only appeared for 90 minutes of questioning before leaving for a vacation.
Regularly teaming up with Charlie Angus and the opposition for political purposes
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Pierre Poilievre and Charlie Angus sit at polar opposite ends of the political spectrum and often disparaged each other, until they teamed up to attack WE Charity in Canada for political purposes. Both have had leadership ambitions - Pierre Poilievre became leader of the official opposition shortly after his attacks on WE Charity in Canada (Charlie Angus had previously come second in the NDP leadership race).
Rhetoric and Vitriol
Poilievre’s Trump-like attacks on WE Charity and its founders would have got him sued if it were not for the protections provided by Parliamentary Privilege.
Charity Intelligence’s Board Chair a major donor to the Conservative Party of Canada
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Charity Intelligence board chair Graeme Hepburn is a major donor to the Conservative Party, making 56 separate donations to the Conservative Party/candidates totaling over $44,000 and actively hosting fundraisers for Conservative Party members at his home, including former provincial leader Tim Hudak. Charity Intelligence did not disclose this information during the parliamentary testimony or as part of their attacks on WE Charity in Canada. The following image, publicly available from Elections Canada, confirms Graeme Hepburn's significant financial support of and direct ties to the Conservative Party.
See original mediaIndirect ties to the Conservative Party of Canada through the Board Chair’s wife
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Graeme Hepburn’s wife Claudia Hepburn is also a financial supporter of the Conservative Party of Canada, donating $24,000 to the party over the years. Claudia Hepburn is the CEO of a charity called Windmill Microlending, which has $5M a year in revenue. It is worth noting that Charity Intelligence has not conducted an analysis of that charity. Claudia Hepburn is also the former Director of right-wing think tank Fraser Institute. The following image illustrates once again Charity Intelligence’s direct and indirect financial ties to the Conservative Party of Canada through Board Chair Graeme Hepburn and his wife Claudia.
Kate Bahen’s undisclosed financial ties to the Conservative Party of Canada
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Kate Bahen and Charity Intelligence actively supported and amplified the rhetoric of the Conservative Party of Canada to take down WE Charity in Canada. At the request of members of the Finance Committee, including members of the Conservative Party, Kate Bahen testified in front of a parliamentary committee on the issue, but failed to disclose her direct affiliation with the Conservative Party as a active donor. The following image, publicly available from Elections Canada, confirms Kate Bahen's financial support of the Conservative Party.
Using media attention to raise Charity Intelligence’s profile
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Kate Bahen's attacks on WE Charity Canada and its cofounders were unrelenting, motivated by the opportunity to exploit the issue to garner media attention for herself and her organization, Charity Intelligence. Kate Bahen and Charity Intelligence appeared in hundreds of news stories over the summer of 2020. This tweet is just one example of her personalizing her attacks against WE Charity cofounders, Marc and Craig Kielburger. In this case, it was before Marc and Craig Kielburger appeared in front of a parliamentary hearing. Kate Bahen mockingly referred to this moment as "burger time".
Kate Bahen’s dishonest, self-serving actions and WE Charity’s response
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Starting in 2014, Charity Intelligence rated WE Charity with their highest four-star rating based on transparency, reporting, and overhead spending, receiving better marks than groups such as the Red Cross. After the CSSG saga, Kate Bahen quickly downgraded the charity without warning or reason to suit her own political agenda and her own narrative she was sharing in the press. The organization was called out for this questionable conduct in the parliamentary hearings when Charity Intelligence testified. WE Charity has documented Kate Bahen's relentless attacks on the charity in the comments section of its Charity Intelligence profile. Readers can scroll all the way down for a detailed analysis of Bahen's dishonest and self-serving actions.
See original mediaSee what Canadians are saying
The book What WE Lost tells the story behind Pierre Poilievre’s proxy war against Justin Trudeau. Through vicious attacks on a children’s charity to try and bring down a Prime Minister – the book details how WE Charity became a casualty of Pierre Poilievre’s disgraceful conduct.
Martin Luther King III gives voice to the story behind Pierre Poilievre’s proxy war against Justin Trudeau and his vitriolic attacks against WE Charity.
Select a chapter below to read excerpts from What WE Lost
Chapter 5: The Calm After the Storm
Chapter 10: High and Dry
Chapter 12: Political Roadkill
Chapter 14: Manufactured Outrage
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