3 days Ago By [email protected] (Ryan Tumilty)
Liberal Minister Randy Boissonnault faced mounting calls to resign Tuesday over his past business practices and previous claims of an Indigenous identity he doesn’t possess. As the , Boissonault’s former business Global Health Imports (GHI) bid on contracts to supply personal protective equipment during the pandemic. In some of those bids, the company identified itself as a “wholly owned Indigenous and LGBTQ firm.
” Boissonnault, who holds the employment and official languages portfolios, has also claimed Indigenous identity during previous elections, which he has now said is not accurate. The minister previously said his great-grandmother was a “full-blooded Cree woman.” His spokesperson said she was Métis and that other family members have provided records sufficient to claim citizenship with the Métis Nation of Alberta, but Boissonnault personally doesn’t claim Indigenous status.
His spokesperson said the GHI bid that claimed Indigenous identity was submitted by his business partner, Stephen Anderson. “The minister has never claimed Indigenous status nor has he ever claimed GHI to be an Indigenous company,” Boissonnault’s press secretary Alice Hansen said. “It has become clear that Mr.
Anderson has frequently made claims on the minister’s behalf without the minister’s permission, or without his knowledge, to further his own interests.” GHI did not win any of the contracts in question. Anderson testified before a parliamentary committee earlier this year, but because of his refusal to answer questions and turn over certain documents, Conservatives want him called to the bar in the House of Commons and admonished.
Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer opened question period Tuesday with a call for Boissonnault to either quit or be fired. “The minister has been caught out in falsehoods, caught faking Indigenous identity to try to secure government contracts meant for real Indigenous people,” Scheer said “Why on Earth has the prime minister not fired this man?” NDP MP Blake Desjarlais, an Indigenous member of Parliament, said Boissonault needs to go because he stood in the way of opportunities for actual Indigenous businesses. “Randy Boissonnault must resign.
If he doesn’t resign, it is incumbent on the prime minister to kick that person out,” he said. “The real victim here isn’t the Liberals, it isn’t Randy, it is Indigenous businesses who did everything right.” On the social media site X, former Liberal cabinet minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, who is Indigenous, said if the prime minister was truly committed to reconciliation, he would have long ago removed Boissonnault from cabinet.
Government procurement rules aim to have a minimum of five per cent of contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses and the government has a directory of Indigenous-owned businesses that qualify. At a parliamentary committee hearing Tuesday on Indigenous procurement, Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hadju was asked if Boissonault should be in cabinet. She said only that Boissonault’s firm had never been added to the government’s list of Indigenous business.
“GHI, the company in question, was never on the Indigenous business directory,” she said. Pressed further on whether Boissonnault should remain in cabinet, she did not say yes. “That’s not a decision for me to make,” the minister responded.
Conservative MP Michael Barrett pressed Hadju further. “Randy Boissonnault lied about who he is in order to profit and in doing so attempted to disenfranchise legitimate and actual Indigenous-owned businesses. Do you think that that is appropriate?” Hadju said anyone using Indigenous identity falsely is harming Canada’s relationship with Indigenous people.
“Any use of Indigenous identity in a fraudulent way undermines Indigenous people,” she said. “When people utilize false claims of Indigeneity, it is extremely harmful to Indigenous people and it’s extremely harmful to the process of reconciliation.” Hansen said Boissonnault was not attempting to falsely claim Indigenous heritage.
“As recent reporting has come to light, it appears that the minister’s own understanding of his family’s heritage was inaccurate. This information has come as a surprise to the minister, and he has apologized for not being as clear as he could have been.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was in Brazil for the G20 summit, was asked about Boissonnault on Tuesday.
He said the minister is addressing the concerns and is doing solid work in his portfolio. “In the meantime, I am happy he is continuing to lead on issues around jobs and employment and represent Alberta in our government.” Boissonnault is the only Alberta MP in cabinet and one of only two Liberal MPs in the province.
He was first elected to his downtown Edmonton riding in 2015, lost to the Conservatives in 2019 and narrowly retook the riding in 2021. Other Liberal cabinet ministers were more supportive of Boissonnault. Treasury Board President Anita Anand said he was a “hardworking, dedicated and responsible” member of Parliament.
Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal said Boissonnault had been supportive of Indigenous MPs. “Randy has always been an ally as long as I’ve been around, since 2015, an ally to the Indigenous caucus and Indigenous members.”.
