Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson talks to reporter Christopher Nardi about how the National Post uncovered inconsistencies in former employment minister Randy Boissonnault’s claims about his Indigenous identity.
Boissonnault stepped down from cabinet last week after revelations from the National Post that he had made shifting statements over his ties to Indigenous heritage over the course of his political career.
Since being elected as a member of Parliament in 2015, Boissonnault had referred to himself as a “non-status adopted Cree” and claimed that his great-grandmother was a “full-blooded Cree woman” in the past but National Post revealed this week that those claims are untrue. He has since said that his great-grandmother’s family had Métis lineage.
After several exposés in National Post revealing inconsistencies and errors in Boissonnault’s claims about his links to an Indigenous heritage, the Edmonton MP apologized for not having been “clear” about his family’s background.
The National Post also revealed that Boissonnault’s company claimed to be Indigenous-owned while bidding on federal contracts, although he said that claim was made without his knowledge, and that company did not successfully qualify as an Indigenous supplier.
National Post
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