Boissonnault apologizes for shifting statements about family's Indigeneity

Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault apologized Friday 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 when it called him Indigenous.

"I apologize unequivocally and I'll end it there," he said, speaking to reporters in Edmonton on Friday.

Boissonnault is facing questions over claims he's made related to his family's background. 

Boissonnault has never said he is Indigenous. But he has referred to his great-grandmother repeatedly in public statements as a Cree woman, said he was given a Cree name in 2021, spoke Cree at least twice in Parliamentary proceedings and self-identified as an "non-status adopted Cree."

Last week, he issued a statement in response to a National Post report that said his former company, Global Health Imports, identified itself as "Indigenous-owned" while bidding for a federal contract.

In that statement, he said his brother and mother were Métis. In previous statements, he has described his family's background as Cree.

"I'm learning about my family in real time. I'm learning about my family lore, and I take my responsibility as an MP and as a minister very seriously, and that means representing people," he said.

"The reason I sought out a way to refer to myself when I was running was so that I could do so in a sensitive and respectful manner." 

Boissonnault's spokesperson has said that he started referring to himself as an "non-status adopted Cree" following a conversation with an Indigenous researcher. On Friday, the National Post published an interview with the Indigenous researcher in question, who denied suggesting he use those words to describe the minister's identity.

"I apologize that particular way to refer to myself was inaccurate," said Boissonnault.

He also denied telling the Liberal Party that he was Indigenous; the party referred to him several years ago as being one of their caucus's elected Indigenous members. Boissonnault said he "never clicked any box on any form" with the party.

Boissonnault said he stopped sitting with the Liberal Indigenous caucus when he joined cabinet in 2021. He said that when he sat with that caucus previously, it was in the role of an ally.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said there have been "a lot of concerns" about Boissonnault. He cited an ongoing ethics committee probe into whether the minister continued to work with his former business after joining cabinet, which would be a breach of conflict of interest laws.

That probe was launched after a series of texts from his former business partner, Stephen Anderson, were released as part of legal proceedings.