2 days Ago By Special to National Post
Why was embattled former Liberal cabinet minister Randy Boissonnault allowed to linger in the federal Liberal government as scandal after scandal emerged about his conduct? The answer to this question can be found in the most recent issue that came to light. While it’s tempting to dismiss the discovery that Boissonnault falsely claimed Indigenous identity — and that a company he formerly co-owned claimed Indigenous ownership — simply as the latest plot twist in a scandal worthy of immortalization in a made-for-Netflix docudrama, the issue underscores a broader problem with the federal Liberal government. Boissonnault and his (allegedly) former business associates have made a legion of fantastical headlines over the past year.
A scandal-plagued company formerly co-owned by the minister coincidentally received government contracts as he sat in cabinet. Then came stories of shady allegedly former business partners, doppelgangers , pushing the technical capabilities of autocorrect beyond the boundaries of known science, corporate mailboxes shared with people adjacent to cocaine busts , and allegations of corporate fraud . Throughout, he kept his plum government appointment.
And the fact that Boissonnault remained in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet for days after news broke that he had fabricated his claims of Indigenous ancestry — on top of all these other scandals — belies an unfixable problem within Canada’s Liberal government: they operate under a culture that replaces substantive action with fluff and hypocrisy, and Canadians suffer the consequences. Take, for example, the issue at the heart of Boissonault’s latest scandal — the inability of the Liberals to meaningfully address reconciliation with Indigenous and First Nations people. Instead of doing the hard work required of such a sensitive and monumental task, the Liberals have oozed unctuous sanctimony every time there’s an opportunity to take a photo, but have turtled any time there’s a need to make hard decisions.
Trudeau’s vocal support for creating a statutory holiday to solemnize reconciliation only to take a surfing holiday on its first observance is but one of a litany of examples of his government’s prioritization of fluff over substance. Boissonnault politically dining out for years on false claims of Indigenous heritage is another. So after nine years of government, it’s easy to call the Liberals hypocrites and tough for them to seriously make any claim that the lives of First Nations and Indigenous persons have improved due to their efforts.
Communities remain under long-term boil water advisories , crime is increasing — particularly against Indigenous women , and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has actually worked against some First Nations communities as they embark upon various economic development opportunities. There are countless other examples just like this, across every area of government, where the Liberals signal one thing but do the opposite. Canadians should view these types of scenarios as a binary: either the Liberals are serious about fixing meaningful problems, or they are incompetent hypocrites who reward those like Randy Boissonnault.
That Trudeau had an opportunity to publicly chastise his hot mess of a minister’s actions at a G20 press conference but chose not to do so should settle any doubts on the matter. At time of writing, he has yet to say anything of substance about the wrongness of what Boissonnault did. This issue came to a head in the House of Commons Tuesday as Conservative Members of Parliament called for Boissonnault’s resignation in light of his false claims.
I know — I was one of them. Upon making a statement that stemmed from Cree lawyer and Sixties-Scoop survivor Leah Ballentine’s earlier comments in National Post, in which she rightly said, “ Identity fraud is fraud ,” I was expelled from the House of Commons. That I was chastised for this action while Boissonneault remained in the cabinet is an indictment on the functionality of both the government and the Liberal party as a whole.
The federal Liberal’s parliamentary dance partners, the New Democratic Party, shouldn’t escape blame on this front either. That they continue to express confidence in a government that allows many questionable cabinet ministers to linger should cause suspicion as to whether they place a greater priority on supporting their leader’s quest to reach his February 2025 pension-vesting eligibility date or actions related to their commitment to social justice causes they routinely wave their fists in the air about. Justin Trudeau should not have taken months to remove Mr.
Boissonnault from his cabinet. There are several others who should be given the boot too, yet remain with car and driver, and hands on the federal purse strings. That arrogance is the common denominator behind many of the systemic problems facing Canadians across the country right now: a federal government who allows harmful people and ideologies to linger when the courage to change is needed.
But Canadians aren’t stupid — they know a phoney when they see one. And so in return for Trudeau’s charitability towards his incompetent and scandal plagued ministers, he shouldn’t expect Canadians to allow him to linger in his job come the next federal election. Michelle Rempel-Garner is a Conservative MP for the Alberta riding of Calgary Nose Hill.
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