Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday denied wrongdoing after being accused of picking a charity with ties to his family to manage a student volunteerism program. Trudeau has been criticized for not recusing himself from decisions surrounding the program, and is currently being investigated by a federal ethics watchdog.

“WE Charity received no preferential treatment, not from me, not from anyone else,” Trudeau said in a testimony before the House of Commons. “The public service recommended WE Charity. I did absolutely nothing to influence that recommendation.”

Trudeau’s wife, mother and brother have all been paid to speak at WE Charity events in recent years. Trudeau said he “pushed back” when he learned that WE Charity was recommended to run the program.

“When the issue of We came forward my concern was to push back on it, to delay it from cabinet so that more due diligence could happen. Looking back on it, it would have been better for perception’s sake that I had simply stepped away and not been involved at all,” Trudeau said. “None of this program was going to benefit any members of my family.”

The Canadian government and WE Charity terminated their deal to administer the Canada Student Service Grant program on July 3, due to political pressure. Students taking part in the program volunteer with various community organizations to earn money towards their university education.

This is the third ethics probe Trudeau has faced since becoming prime minister. The first involved Trudeau’s all-expenses-paid vacation to a Bahamian island owned by billionaire Aga Khan over Christmas break in 2016. The second involved Trudeau’s attempted interference in a criminal case against Quebec-based construction company SNC Lavalin.

Trudeau, a member of the Liberal Party, was first elected as Canada’s Prime Minister in 2015. His father, Pierre Trudeau, served as Prime Minister between 1968 and 1984.

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