Randy Boissonneau, who lost his job as Employment Minister due to changing claims to Indigenous identity, told a House of Commons committee today that he is not Indigenous.
Boissonneau was called to testify before the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee after a series of media reports, led by the National Post, called into question his past claims about his heritage.
The Edmonton MP has been identified as Indigenous multiple times in communications from the Liberal Party, referring to herself as a “non-status adopted Cree” and saying her great-grandmother was a “full-blooded Cree woman.” .
He later revealed that his adoptive mother and brother were Métis, and apologized for changing his claims.
At this morning’s committee meeting, Boissonneau said he came up with the term “non-status adopted Cree” after conversations with Indigenous researchers and was trying to convey his family’s heritage.
NDP MP Lori Idraut, who is of Inuk descent, asked which Cree tribe his family belonged to. Boissonneau had no answer.
“I grew up knowing that my family was Cree, so I never asked them questions about what nation they were,” he said, adding that his great-grandmother “married a settler, so she didn’t have a girlfriend. There were no indigenous peoples involved.” ”
Idraut later asked what he was doing to correct the mistakes about his identity.
When Idraut answered, “No, no,” Boissonneau said, “I would be happy to meet with you separately to get advice on what I should do.”
“I haven’t taken any steps because I haven’t stated that I’m indigenous, I haven’t stated that I’m seeking indigenous status,” he said. Idraut interrupted him by saying in Inuktitut, “Pretense is not only harmful, it’s fraudulent.”
Randy Boissonneau, an Alberta lawmaker and now former employment minister, has left the Liberal government after days of criticism over his shifting claims about Indigenous ancestry.
Boissonneau told the committee he is speaking with Indigenous leaders and elders to seek advice on how to make amends.
He said the expression “adopted Cree without status” was something he came up with because he didn’t have the words to describe his situation. He said he regretted that “it wasn’t as clear as I expected.”
He also said he felt the commission’s work was important in “unpacking the nexus of identity, tradition and status.”
Bloc Quebecois MP Nathalie Sinclair Desgagnes asked why Mr. Boissonneau had begun part of his speech in Cree and whether that constituted cultural appropriation.
He said in French that he wanted to be an ally of Indigenous peoples, that some Indigenous peoples said he had a “gift for languages,” and that it was important to him to add Cree to his speech, adding that defended the practice.
It is not uncommon for politicians to include words from indigenous languages in speeches to indigenous communities.
The National Post also reported that the company he co-founded when he was not a member of Congress is calling it fully Indigenous-owned in order to apply for government contracts reserved for Indigenous businesses. It was reported that he was called
Those bids were not successful. “I’m glad the current safety measures are working properly,” Boissonneau said Thursday.
He also said his former business partner and other co-founder of the company, Stephen Anderson, had “acted unethically” by using his name without his consent.
Boissonneau maintains he has not been involved in the business since being re-elected in 2021 and said he has sought legal advice on the matter.
Conservative MP Michael Cooper asked why Mr Anderson had not yet been charged. Boissonneau has begun the process of initiating legal action, which he said is one of the reasons he resigned from the cabinet.
Their business dealings and the company they founded, Global Health Imports, have been the subject of two ethics committee investigations. The Conservatives have accused Mr Anderson of lying to the committee and want to summon him to the Commons tribunal for a formal reprimand.
This authority has only been used twice since 1913.
