Canada’s Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault is apologizing after shifting claims of his Indigenous identity came under scrutiny.
The Edmonton Liberal member of Parliament says he’s sorry he hasn’t been clear about who he is and his family’s history and that he’s still learning about his heritage.
Boissonnault has previously referred to himself as “non-status adopted Cree from Alberta” and said his great-grandmother was a “full-blooded Cree woman.”
The apology comes after reports that a company co-owned by Boissonnault unsuccessfully bid on two federal contracts while identifying itself as Indigenous and Aboriginal-owned.
Global News previously reported that the company in question, Global Health Imports (GHI), has faced legal trouble in recent years, including allegations of civil fraud. Boissonnault’s former business partner, Stephen Anderson, has been running the company since the fall of 2021, when Boissonnault says he resigned following his re-election.
Boissonnault is not named in any of the lawsuits and Anderson denies the fraud allegations, which remain unproven in court.
Boissonnault says he never claimed Indigenous status to Anderson, and he corrected the Liberal party as soon as he became aware of its public claim that he’s Indigenous.
The Conservative party has called for Boissonnault to testify for a third time before the ethics committee and answer for what it calls serious allegations of fraud.
Committee members also said they want to ask Boissonnault about newly-disclosed text messages, recently reported by Global News, that have raised more questions about Boissonnault’s possible involvement in GHI while in office, which is not allowed under ethics rules.
Boissonnault maintains he has had no involvement in GHI’s business while in cabinet and accuses Anderson of using his name without his permission after he resigned.
— with files from Krista Hessey