Randy Boissonnault leaves Liberal cabinet after shifting Indigenous identity claims

Randy Boissonnault is leaving his post as employment minister in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet after weeks of questions about the Edmonton MP’s shifting claims of Indigenous identity and his business dealings.

“The prime minister and MP Randy Boissonnault have agreed that Mr. Boissonnault will step away from cabinet effective immediately. Mr. Boissonnault will focus on clearing the allegations made against him,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said on Wednesday.

Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor will temporarily take on his cabinet portfolios. He was also the minister responsible for official languages.

Boissonnault has been under intense scrutiny after reporting from the National Post that raised questions about his past claims of Indigenous heritage.

The newspaper reported that a company he previously co-owned had applied for government contracts and claimed to be Indigenous-owned.

Boissonnault has been described as Indigenous multiple times in communications from the Liberal party and in 2018, referred to himself as “non-status adopted Cree.”

He has since clarified that his adoptive mother and brother are Métis.

Boissonnault has apologized for his shifting claims since the reports emerged.

Both the Conservatives and NDP called on him to resign this week.

On Tuesday, Trudeau said Boissonnault had addressed questions about his identity.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre kicked off question period in the House of Commons Wednesday by lambasting the prime minister for standing by Boissonnault.

The statement announcing his departure from cabinet was released minutes before question period began.

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said in an interview that all MPs need to be held accountable, and that if something “doesn’t seem ethical or doesn’t feel ethical, it’s probably not ethical.”

At the centre of the concerns raised about Boissonnault in recent weeks is the Liberal government’s Indigenous businesses directory.

The directory provides the federal government with names of businesses they could consider using to meet their Indigenous procurement target, which states a minimum five per cent of the total value of government contracts should be held by Indigenous-owned businesses.

Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu told a House of Commons committee on Tuesday that committee the company Boissonnault founded was not listed on that directory.

“These loose standards are hurting First Nations,” Woodhouse Nepinak said, adding that the government needs to work toward closing gaps that are allowing people to claim Indigenous identity because they see some kind of economic benefit, despite not having legitimate claims to communities.

“All of a sudden, because there’s an economy — a little, small piece of an economy — attached to that (identity), there’s opportunists out there that are trying to jump on and pull that all apart,” she said.

“And it’s hurtful. It’s hurtful to this country, particularly to First Nations entrepreneurs, people and businesses that are trying to make it in a really tough market.”

By Nojoud Al Mallees, Alessia Passafiume and Nick Murray