Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday expressed support for his embattled Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Brazil.
Reporters at the summit pressed Trudeau to explain why he maintains confidence in Boissonnault in light of new fraud allegations made against Boissonnault’s former business partner and other accusations that Boissonnault misrepresented his family’s Indigenous ancestry.
“Minister Boissonnault has addressed these 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.”
Trudeau’s remarks in Rio de Janeiro come a day after Opposition Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre suggested in the House of Commons that Trudeau should fire Boissonnault as controversies around him grow.
Stephen Anderson, Boissonnault’s former business partner in a medical supply company, is facing several lawsuits amid allegations of fraud. Boissonnault has said repeatedly he has has nothing to do with the business since he resigned in the fall of 2021, when he was re-elected as MP for Edmonton Centre.
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
Boissonnault is not named in any of the lawsuits and Anderson denies the fraud allegations.
Boissonnault and Anderson founded Global Health Imports (GHI) in early 2020. Boissonnault said he resigned from GHI upon his re-election and appointment to cabinet.
Anderson also claimed GHI was a “wholly Indigenous-owned” company in unsuccessful bids on federal contracts in 2020, the National Post reported earlier this month.
The minister denied ever claiming he was Indigenous and said Anderson made “false representations” about the company without his consent and knowledge.
Boissonnault held a 50 per cent stake in GHI until late June, when he “surrendered” his shares, effectively cutting ties with Anderson and GHI.
Boissonnault has faced scrutiny this week over past statements he made identifying himself as a “non-status adopted Cree.” He later clarified his adoptive family had Métis ancestry.
Last week, the minister apologized for not being careful enough about how he characterized the background of people in his family, adding he was still learning about it.
When asked about companies falsely claiming Indigeneity to leverage a government program designed to boost First Nations, Inuit and Métis businesses, Trudeau said it is “extremely important” that part of reconciliation is empowering Indigenous communities.
“The question of identity is an extremely delicate one for the federal government to weigh in on. It is much more important that Indigenous communities themselves make determinations around the framework and the rules they have, and we will continue to work with them on those,” Trudeau added.
–With files from David Akin
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
