Sunday Scrum: WE Charity controversy widens

CBC News Network's Sunday Scrum panel is your destination for frank discussion and analysis of the week's big political stories.

This week, we talk to our panellists about calls by the Opposition Conservatives for a criminal investigation into Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his ties to WE Charity after it was revealed this week that the charity paid Trudeau's mother, brother and wife to appear at its events.

The panellists also discuss the fiscal snapshot that was tabled July 8 showing the federal government's deficit is expected to hit $343 billion, largely due to pandemic-related support programs that have pushed federal spending to a level not seen since the Second World War.

Also on the program: a discussion of what Canada's mask policy should look like, emerging calls for Canada to minimize — not eliminate — COVID-19 and criticism of Canada's border agency after the auditor general revealed the CBSA did not know the whereabouts of thousands of foreign nationals who were ordered to leave the country.

WATCH | WE Charity controversy widens:

WATCH | Rising costs of COVID-19:

WATCH | What should Canada's mask policy be?:

WATCH | Eliminating COVID too costly to society, health experts say:

WATCH | CBSA under scrutiny: