WE Charity Response to Testimony of Finance Minister Bill Morneau

TORONTO, July 22, 2020 /CNW/ - From time to time, on a complimentary basis, WE Charity invites potential supporters to see the impact of its global projects: current and potential major funders, celebrity ambassadors, philanthropists, and those doing due diligence on behalf of companies or possible future funders. Many international charities and humanitarian agencies operate in a similar manner.

This has been a successful practice, as over the years visitors to WE Charity projects have provided funding to enable critical infrastructure in healthcare, education, sanitation, and clean water in Africa, Asia and Latin America. After their trips, donors have provided tens of millions of dollars to directly improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries.

We understand that, at times, individuals need to report their participation on these trips. Given the multitude of protocols for reporting and disclosure at various corporations, foundations, media outlets or government agencies, the adherence to these protocols are largely the responsibility of trip participants.

WE Charity extended the invitation to Nancy McCain and Bill Morneau because they are well-known philanthropists with a history of significant donations to international development programs. Nancy McCain and her daughter visited WE Charity projects in Kenya in July 2017 as part of a larger tour of local charity programs funded by the Morneau-McCain family. This prompted the second visit to Ecuador six months later in Dec 2017 by the family to witness WE Charity's South American programs.

WE Charity invited the Morneau-McCain family to witness the impact of its development projects, to assist, as volunteers, in building a local school, and to stay in WE accommodation at the project sites. WE Charity development programs are located in very rural regions of developing countries, and there are limited to no alternative accommodation options.

Yesterday, the Morneau-McCain family reached out to us to ask if, in fact, their trip had been complimentary. We confirmed that it was. They then reimbursed WE Charity for what they would have been charged if they had paid at the time: USD $ 4,395 per person.

SOURCE WE Charity

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