Evidence of meeting #122 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was randy.
A recording is available from Parliament.
11:30 a.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
In two years, you created a company that was essentially a consultancy. Is that correct?
11:30 a.m.
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
No. I had a consultancy from about 1999 until the time that I was first elected in 2015, when I made sure that the company—
11:30 a.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
In your two years, what was the nature of the business that you created here?
11:30 a.m.
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
I didn't create a new business, Mr. Green. I simply restarted my business, Xennex, which is a management consultancy. As I indicated to Mr. Villemure, I had many clients, and my forte, if you can use that—
11:30 a.m.
NDP
11:30 a.m.
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
With respect to that company, which I have no more work to do with, we were at the time of a pandemic, and we were at the time of a great call—
11:30 a.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
What experience did you have prior to this procurement that involved PPE and procurement?
11:30 a.m.
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
With 15 years in business, Mr. Green, I was able to make sure that we had products supplied to my community. I had 15 years in business. This was a decision to start a business. There were tens of thousands of businesses that started up during the pandemic to help our country and our community, and this business was one of them.
11:35 a.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
You got into procurement to take advantage of the opportunities that were presented in COVID and perhaps your relationship with the Liberal government.
11:35 a.m.
Conservative
11:35 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Brassard
Mr. Boissonnault, Mr. Green was in the middle of his intervention asking a question.
11:35 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Brassard
I'm going to ask that you let him finish, and you'll be given an equal amount of time to respond.
Mr. Green, go ahead. I did stop your clock.
11:35 a.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
In your earlier testimony, you stated that the Ghaoui Group had no contact.
The article states in reference to the text that they mention a Randy. It is stated in this article that has been referenced, to refute the Conservatives' claims, that it was “Ghaoui's understanding that Anderson was referring to Boissonnault, whom Anderson had told her was a partner at GHI and a public official, a representative of Ghaoui Group wrote in a statement.”
There's an obvious contradiction here that is public. While it is true that you may want to appear before this committee and act as though this is simply a Conservative witch hunt, I would tell you that from my perspective as a New Democrat, this doesn't pass the sniff test. Please explain this very obvious contradiction between your testimony and what is being stated here.
11:35 a.m.
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
Thanks, Mr. Green.
Mr. Chair, through you to Mr. Green, there are some baseless comments in your intervention. Let me just be really clear. I had nothing to do with the Ghaoui Group. I have no ongoing role in this company, and I haven't since I was elected.
The article itself, and I'll repeat, says, “We have had no direct communication with Mr. Boissonnault at any point in our dealings with Stephen and the companies.” That's from the Ghaoui Group. Mr. Anderson confirmed in the article that I am not the Randy in question.
I would also say that, you know, you put words in my mouth and said “take advantage”. I never said that, nor did I say the W-word, because I'm very careful to use that word. I am here to answer questions, as the ethics committee has asked me to.
11:35 a.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Sir, listen. That's all great, but you're providing contradictory testimony. The nature of your dealings with a business model that you have no previous experience with, given the size and the scope of the procurement, raises questions for the average Canadian. It raises questions for an objective person looking at this deal when, in your own testimony, you're stating that you're not even aware of who the owner is. Who is the other Randy?
11:35 a.m.
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
Mr. Green, I stated this earlier to Mr. Barrett. I do not know the name of this person. I have no operational role in that company. I do not have any line of sight into who operates the company, and I would not be able to because of the very strict rules in ethics. I will state very clearly that I had 15 years of business experience with the clients—
11:35 a.m.
NDP
11:35 a.m.
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
—and I was able to translate that into something to help the community.
11:35 a.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
—to list Kirsten Poon's company as 2050877 Alberta Ltd. on your disclosure forms and not include the trade name of the Navis Group. That, to me, sir, no matter how much you want to obfuscate, looks like an omission that is intentional.
Would you agree that receiving direct payments from a registered lobbyist would appear to show a conflict of interest?
11:35 a.m.
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
Mr. Green, there are two things there.
When I was a private citizen, I worked with a numbered company that, after I was elected, changed its trade name to the Navis Group. Moreover, I was required to use the legal name of the company in my ethics disclosure forms; that was a directive issued by the commissioner's team. When I first did my disclosure with the Ethics Commissioner, as I explained to Ms. Damoff, the company that I was aware of was still the numbered company. I wasn't aware of the name change.
11:35 a.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Mr. Boissonnault, I've operated a business myself, sir, and in these types of disclosures, you would put an “operating as” to give disclosure about the nature of the company so it could be cross-referenced against procurement.
Why then have a deferred payment arrangement made? How long will you be receiving payments from the Navis Group?
11:35 a.m.
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
Mr. Green, just to be clear, it was stated in a response to Global News by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner that they required me to use the numbered company, not the operating name. When I worked with that numbered company, it did not have an “operating as”; it was simply a numbered company.
11:40 a.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
I filled out those sheets too. You could put in the section “operating as”. It's just a matter of whether you want to be forthcoming or not.
