Employment Minister Boissonnault Apologizes for Shifting Claims of Indigenous Identity

Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault speaks at a news conference in Ottawa, on May 9, 2024. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang

Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault has apologized following scrutiny over inconsistencies in his claims of indigenous heritage.

Speaking to reporters in Edmonton on Nov. 15, the minister said he’s sorry for “not being as clear” as he could have been about his family’s indigenous heritage, and said he asked the Liberal Party to correct the record in references that referred to him as indigenous.

“I apologize unequivocally and I'll end it there,” he said.

Boissonnault had previously referred to himself as “non-status adopted Cree from Alberta” and said his great-grandmother was a “full-blooded Cree woman.”

The apology follows reports that a company Boissonnault once co-owned claimed to be indigenous-owned while bidding on federal contracts. Boissonnault has said this was done without his consent.

On Nov. 7, National Post reported it had obtained documents showing that Boissonnault’s former business partner, Stephen Anderson, described Global Health Imports Corporation as a “wholly-owned Indigenous and LGBTQ company” when bidding for a 2020 contract to supply face masks.

Under federal procurement rules, businesses can only identify themselves to the federal government as “Aboriginal” if they are listed on an official registry of eligible indigenous-owned companies. Global Health Imports was not on that list.

In a Nov. 8 statement, Boissonnault accused Anderson of behaving in an “unacceptable manner” by using his name without his consent “to advance his personal interests repeatedly,” and continuing for years after their work together had ended.

“With regard to my own heritage, the family into which I was adopted has Indigenous ancestry with my adopted mother and brother both being status Métis,” he wrote last week. “I myself do not have status, though I have participated in Indigenous caucus as an ally throughout my time as an MP.”

Anderson did not respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comment.

In his statement, Boissonnault also condemned the longstanding practice of non-indigenous individuals claiming indigenous status to access government programs, calling it “wrong and deeply hurtful to Indigenous people.”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has called for Boissonnault’s resignation, accusing him of dishonesty. “He lies about who he is. Lies about who he isn’t,” Poilievre wrote on the social media platform X on Nov. 14. “He must resign.”

The Conservatives’ ethics critic Michael Barrett has called for Boissonnault to once again appear before the Commons ethics committee for testimony. The minister has testified before the committee multiple times in the past year in connection with three investigations by the federal ethics commissioner regarding his role at Global Health Imports.

The first probe began after Global News reported in May that Boissonnault was still listed as a director of the company while in office. Boissonnault has said he was a partner until his election in September 2021, and had resigned from the company to comply with federal ethics rules.

A second preliminary investigation took place in June following reports that Anderson had sent text messages in September 2022, referring to “Randy” and requesting a “partner call.”

Anderson testified to the ethics committee on July 17 that the use of the name “Randy” was an autocorrect error and that the messages were intended for another company associate. After reviewing the matter, the ethics commissioner decided not to pursue a formal investigation.

The third probe was initiated in August after more text messages surfaced from Sept. 6, 2022, in which Anderson mentioned updating “Randy” about a business deal. One message referred to a “partner vote” on the deal, while another said that “Randy” was “in the Vancouver office” during a cabinet retreat. The ethics commissioner concluded the investigation, finding no evidence that Boissonnault was involved in the business deal while serving in cabinet.

Matthew Horwood and The Canadian Press contributed to this report.