Ethics committee summons Kielburger brothers to testify after they duck invitation

Kielburgers' initial snub to committee 'a direct challenge to the powers of Parliament,' says MP Angus

WE Charity founders Craig and Marc Kielburger now say they will testify before the House of Commons ethics committee after previously refusing to answer questions from what they described as a "partisan" committee.

Guy Giorno, a lawyer advising WE Charity, told CBC News Network's Power & Politics today that both men will appear before the committee with legal counsel and will not answer questions that could form a part of a RCMP or Canada Revenue Agency investigation.

The move came after the committee unanimously passed a motion earlier today to compel the men behind WE Charity to appear before MPs to explain their role in the botched summer student grants program and answer questions about allegations of donor fraud.

The brothers previously said they would not testify before a "partisan" committee hearing. The committee is probing allegations of malfeasance at the charity and its role in a multi-million dollar student program that was derailed by a political scandal over personal ties between the charity, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and former finance minister Bill Morneau.

"There's a fundamental unfairness to having allegations which are already before law enforcement authorities also considered in a duplicative process before members of Parliament," Giorno told Power & Politics host Vassy Kapelos.

"The witnesses will attend with counsel, but will obviously not, as a matter of fundamental fairness, be expected to address things that are in the hands of the police and other authorities."