MPs, Indigenous leader call for Boissonnault to resign over shifting claims about family

Some Indigenous leaders are now backing calls for Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault to resign over conflicting claims about his family's background.

Boissonnault has been under scrutiny for months over claims made about his family's Indigenous heritage and allegations that his former company Global Health Imports (GHI) claimed to be "Indigenous-owned" when bidding for federal contracts in 2020.

He has denied having any involvement in the business since he was re-elected in 2021 and has claimed that his former business partner Stephen Anderson — chief operating officer of GHI — was working without his consent to "advance his personal interests."

Joanna Bernard, Assembly of First Nations regional chief for New Brunswick, told CBC's Power & Politics on Tuesday that she thinks Boissonnault should resign in light of the conflicting statements about his family's heritage.

"If somebody is doing something on his behalf, he should have been aware," Bernard said. "I think ignorance is not an excuse and he should resign."

She added that the government's apparent inability to verify Métis status contributes to flaws in the Indigenous business procurement system.

"The prime minister himself could identify as Métis," she said. "We need accountability and transparency on these contracts to ensure that whoever is getting them are truly Métis and truly First Nations."

Boissonault has described his great-grandmother several times as a Cree woman. Census records suggest that she was of German descent. 

That story was first reported by the National Post.

On Nov. 8, Boissonnault said in a media statement that his "adopted mother and brother" are status Métis.

The Edmonton MP has never claimed to be Indigenous. However, others — including the Liberal Party — have claimed Indigenous identity on his behalf.

Alice Hansen, a spokesperson for Boissonnault, said in a media statement on Tuesday that the employment minister "spoke to what he believed to be accurate his whole life."

"As recent reporting has come to light, it appears that the minister's own understanding of his family's heritage was inaccurate," Hansen said. "This information has come as a surprise to the minister, and he has apologized for not being as clear as he could have been."

Edmonton Centre MP Blake Desjarlais, a New Democrat of Cree and Métis descent, told reporters on Tuesday that Boissonnault "must resign as minister" because he is making decisions related to Indigenous people's lives while he is uncertain of his own connections.