Evidence of meeting #127 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 business.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Bloc
René Villemure Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC
Thank you very much.
Earlier, you talked about a sequence of events. Would you fill that in so we can see where we're at now?
Liberal
Bloc
René Villemure Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC
Earlier, you referred to a sequence of events several times, but you weren't given a chance to talk about it. I'm giving you the opportunity to tell us about it.
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
On the morning of September 6, I left Edmonton to go to Vancouver. I received a text from a Purolator representative indicating that he wanted to be put in contact with someone from Global Health Imports Corporation. I got that message because there was old information in the Purolator system. At 11:28 a.m. Mountain Time, I texted Mr. Anderson to let him know that. At 11:29 a.m., he called me, and we then had a one-minute conversation so he could resolve this matter. At 11:30, the conversation ended, and I sent him the Purolator text. All of this is indicated in the statements I sent you today.
Bloc
René Villemure Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC
So you had no further communication, nor did you communicate with another Randy.
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
Not at all.
Moreover, Mr. Villemure, having seen that—
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
—information, the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner said this matter is closed.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Brassard
Thank you, Mr. Villemure.
Mr. Green, for six minutes, go ahead, please.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Clearly, you don't know who the other Randy is because Mr. Anderson admitted under testimony that he was lying about the other Randy. Is that correct?
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
I'm not going to put any words in Mr. Anderson's mouth, Mr. Green.
NDP
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
I can't recall exactly when I met Mr. Anderson. I met him at a couple of community events in Edmonton, and then we reconnected on a flight early in the pandemic. It would have been probably in the late winter or early spring of 2020.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
In those couple of times that you met him in the community, what was your perception of Mr. Anderson?
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
I knew that Mr. Anderson had run an import-export business. He informed me that the business was doing well and that he had a successful business.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Did he pitch you on the plane to start a business together, or did you pitch him?
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
Neither of us pitched each other, whatsoever, on starting a business, on that plane ride.
NDP
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
No. What happened is that—and I'm happy to share this information—it was several days or a week later, and I was a private citizen at this time. I received an email or a communication on my phone indicating that the country needed people who understood how to bring—
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Mr. Boissonnault, at what point did you start a business relationship with Mr. Anderson?
Liberal