Canada’s parliamentary ethics commissioner said he has launched a third preliminary probe into Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault’s business dealings.
Commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein said he wrote a letter to Boissonnault Wednesday saying he was “concerned” about new text messages that had surfaced in which Boissonnault’s former business partner cites consulting someone named “Randy” on a business deal in 2022.
Stephen Anderson, who co-founded a medical supply company with Boissonnault, mentions the name “Randy” nine times in texts sent to a client on Sept. 6 and Sept. 8, 2022 — a year after Boissonnault said he resigned from the company.
Edmonton Centre MP Boissonnault was tourism minister at the time.
Federal ethics laws prohibit cabinet members from operating or managing businesses while in office.
Boissonnault was a partner at Global Health Imports (GHI) until September 2021, when he won back his Edmonton Centre seat and was appointed to cabinet. He said he then stepped down, as is legally required of public office holders, but remained a 50 per cent shareholder until recently. Ministers are allowed to own stakes in private companies.
The commissioner first looked into Boissonnault after Global News reported in May that he remained listed as director of GHI in business registries for 16 months after he was re-elected. Boissonnault said he thought Anderson would update the business registries after he resigned, which didn’t happen.
The second preliminary probe came a month later when Global News revealed texts Anderson sent to a client on Sept. 8 that showed someone referred to only as “Randy” asking for a “partner call.”
In both cases, von Finckenstein decided against launching a formal investigation.
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The minister has said repeatedly he is not the “Randy” in the texts.
Last month, Global News obtained new texts from Sept. 6, two days prior, that show Anderson was updating someone named “Randy” about the status of the business deal earlier than previously reported.
Anderson was discussing the sale of a large shipment of medical gloves to The Ghaoui Group, a California-based company. In texts sent to Malvina Ghaoui, principal of The Ghaoui Group, Anderson mentions “Randy” being involved in a “partner vote” on the deal.
Another text places “Randy” in Vancouver at the same time Boissonnault was there for a cabinet retreat.
“I have Randy and them I need to update,” Anderson wrote to Ghaoui on Sept. 6, 2022, followed by: “Asking as west coast is closing in 7 min and Randy is in the Vancouver office.”
Conservative ethics critic Michael Barrett asked Anderson about the new texts during his witness testimony before the ethics committee in July.
Anderson said the nine references to “Randy” were the result of “autocorrect” and refused to publicly disclose the identity of whom he meant to refer to.
Von Finckenstein announced the probe during his testimony at a public accounts committee meeting on Thursday. The committee was discussing the ArriveCAN probe, however, Barrett asked the commissioner if he had watched Anderson’s testimony and if he was aware of the new text messages.
“Does this new information require a further look into the matter by you?” Barrett asked.
Von Finckenstein responded that he was satisfied that the minister had not been in contact with Anderson on Sept. 8.
“We looked at all of that, and there was absolutely no way that there was contact between him and Mr. Anderson. Now this new stuff has come up,” Von Finckenstein said.
He said he has requested Boissonnault send him phone records and screenshots of communications from various messaging apps for Sept. 6 and Sept. 7, 2022.
The commissioner said that as part of the initial probe, Boissonnault provided him only with these records for Sept. 8, 2022.
“When I get that, I will determine whether Mr. Anderson is using (Boissonnault’s) name in vain or whether there were actually conversations.”
Boissonnault’s director of communications Alice Hansen said in a statement that the minister will provide all records the commissioner has requested.
“The Ethics Commissioner has twice examined Minister Boissonnault’s past business affairs and has twice concluded there is no cause for concern,” Hansen wrote.
“Minister Boissonnault was not involved in any of the text conversations that have been reported on and we are happy to show that again to the Ethics Commissioner.”
Boissonnault has been called to testify before the ethics committee again in September when the House resumes.
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