Trudeau minister Randy Boissonnault accused of ‘fraud’ and ‘pretendianism’ as calls to resign grow

OTTAWA — A Métis NDP MP has accused the federal employment minister of “pretendianism” for how he represented his heritage, and a Conservative MP was sanctioned for calling him a “fraud,” as a growing chorus of voices called on Randy Boissonnault to resign.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was “happy” that Boissonnault remained in cabinet, while other ministers avoided coming to his defence.

In fiery comments to reporters Tuesday, Métis NDP MP Blake Desjarlais said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should kick Boissonnault out of cabinet if the minister doesn’t leave voluntarily over the fact a company he co-owned bid on two federal contracts while claiming to be “wholly” Indigenous owned.

Between 2016 and 2019, Boissonnault repeatedly said he was “non-status adopted Cree”, then stated in 2021 he was “white”, then a few weeks ago declared that his adoptive mother and great-grandmother were in fact Métis. He says he never claimed to be Indigenous and never consented to his business partner claiming their company, Global Health Imports, was Indigenous owned.

Desjarlais said that not removing Boissonnault — whom he accused of “pretendianism” because of his shifting statements about his connections to Indigenous ancestry over his political career — is sending a signal to all “pretendians” out there that they can get away with it.

Pretendian describes people who falsely claim Indigenous heritage to their benefit.

“This race-shifting that’s taking place is very concerning,” said Desjarlais, who represents an Edmonton riding near Boissonnault’s. “What we’ve seen the last few weeks in this very interesting case of pretendianism is a common factor in all cases of pretendianism.”

“The real victims here aren’t the Liberals. The real victim isn’t Randy. The real victim is Indigenous businesses, Indigenous people that did everything right,” he added. “They did all that, just to learn that the system is rigged right here at the top.”

On the same day, former Liberal justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, an Indigenous MP who broke from the party, accused Boissonnault of playing a “shameful and extremely destructive” game of “ancestry wheel of fortune.”

“A Prime Minister committed to true reconciliation would have removed Randy… from Cabinet long ago,” she wrote on social media.

Conservative MPs have been calling for Boissonnault’s resignation after National Post revealed his company’s Indigenous claims.

They increased the pressure during question period Tuesday. At one point, Speaker Greg Fergus ejected MP Michelle Rempel-Garner for the rest of the day after she called Boissonnault a “fraud.” She had quoted Cree lawyer Leah Ballantyne, who referred to “identity fraud” in a story about Boissonnault in the National Post.

Fergus asked her to withdraw the term, which he said was against Parliament’s rules, and asked her to leave when she refused.

Boissonnault joined Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet following the 2021 election, when he won his seat back in Edmonton Centre after losing it in 2019.

The Edmonton MP has spent most of the year under scrutiny over Global Health Imports. He started the firm just weeks after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, with former business partner Stephen Anderson, to sell personal protective equipment.

Edmonton police spokesperson Carolin Maran told National Post on Tuesday the force is investigating a fraud complaint filed by attorney Michael Weber, an attorney for U.S.-based PPE supplier 4M Medical, against Global Health Imports. National Post reported recently that Weber accused Anderson of running a “fraudulent scheme”.

Parliament is currently probing what level of involvement Boissonnault may have had in the company following his cabinet appointment. Text messages leaked to Global News show business communications with “Randy” after Boissonnault was barred by law from participating in the firm’s operations. Boissonnault has denied being involved and told National Post he is considering legal action against his former business partner.

New criticism began to mount after reporting on Global Health’s government bidding uncovered shifting statements about Boissonnault’s connections to Indigenous ancestry via his adoptive family over his political career.

Boissonnault often told Parliament between 2016 and 2019 that his adoptive great-grandmother was a “full-blooded Cree woman.” After National Post found census records to the contrary, the minister’s spokeswoman said the woman’s family in fact had Métis heritage and that his understanding of her lineage was “inaccurate.”

Last week Boissonnault publicly apologized for saying he has not been “clear” enough about his heritage but that he never tried to claim Indigenous identity.

NDP MP Rachel Blaney — who is born white but was adopted into an Indigenous family from the Stellat’en First Nation — lambasted Boissonnault on Tuesday for being “careless” about how he presented his heritage over the years.

“I’m very concerned that we have a minister that I don’t understand not only why he isn’t being removed, but why he doesn’t gracefully and with dignity withdraw himself,” she told the Commons government operations committee.

“Maybe there was a misunderstanding, but… I have to say when you’re going to speak, you’d better speak honestly, and you had better make sure that what you’re saying is correct,” she added. “I really don’t know why he hasn’t stepped down.”

Speaking at a summit of world leaders in Brazil, Trudeau said Boissonnault will continue to answer for his issues.

“Minister Boissonnault has addressed these (questions) and will continue to answer directly for those,” Trudeau told reporters.

“In the meantime, I’m happy that he is continuing to lead on issues around jobs and employment and represent Alberta in our government.”

That response did not sit well with Desjarlais.

“This is the prime minister that said the most important relationship he’s ever had is with First Nations, Métis and Inuit people. Meanwhile, there are those in his cabinet, in his inner circle, that are abusing the Indigenous procurement system so that they can gain advantage and benefit from that system,” Desjarlais said.

Fellow cabinet ministers, including Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu, have also been peppered with questions about whether Boissonnault, the sole cabinet minister for Alberta and only one of two Liberal MPs elected in the province, should remain in the role.

Testifying at a parliamentary committee Tuesday morning, Hajdu told MPs that Boissonnault’s future is “not a decision for me to make.” Her colleague, Mental Health and Addictions Minister Ya’ara Saks, similarly deflected questions on Boissonnault’s presence in cabinet earlier this week.

Asked if Boissonnault should resign, Minister of Northern Affairs Dan Vandal, who is Métis, responded Tuesday that “Randy’s always been an ally, as long as I’ve been around since 2015, to Indigenous caucus and Indigenous members.”

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