Tories ask speaking agency to release records on WE's payments to Trudeau family

The Conservatives are urging the speaking agency through which WE Charity paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to Justin Trudeau's family members to hand over documents about the arrangements.

In a letter to Speakers' Spotlight, Conservative MP Michael Barrett notes the House of Commons ethics committee had asked the agency to produce the documents last month.

The agency subsequently asked for an extension before the prime minister prorogued Parliament until Sept. 23, ending four committee investigations into the WE affair.

Barrett says the committee agreed to extension in good faith, and that prorogation should not stop the firm from ``doing the right thing'' and delivering the documents.

WE Charity paid Trudeau's mother and brother nearly $300,000 and reimbursed about $200,000 in expenses for appearing at its events; his wife also had expenses covered.

The federal ethics watchdog is investigating whether Trudeau violated the Conflict of Interest Act by not recusing himself from the decision to have WE administer a multimillion-dollar student-volunteer program.