The WE Charity says on its website that its Canadian operations are closing and all of its assets will be sold to establish an endowment fund to sustain its existing international humanitarian programs and digitize its Canadian educational resources.
Recently the charity has been in the middle of a political ethics scandal after a large contract was given to WE by the federal government, but it was reported that family members of the Prime Minister and the former Finance Minister had been paid by the charity in the past.
The contract was cancelled.
Co-founder of the charity, Craig Kielburger, says COVID-19 disrupted every aspect of their work and then the fallout from the Canada Student Service Grant placed them in the middle of political battles and misinformation that they were ill-equipped to fight.
The charity’s website says WE was founded 25 years ago in Canada to inspire children to make a difference through service and to help children around the world escape extreme poverty.