Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on Dec. 5th, 2024

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I explained the situation to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, as well as to the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics. It was the agencies responsible for registration that delayed making the change to the public registry of information at the Office of the Commissioner.

I resigned from that company when I was elected in September 2021. When I was elected, my lawyer contacted Mr. Anderson's lawyer, and it was clearly the company's responsibility to make that change. It did not.

[Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, Bloc, Terrebonne, QC]

I'm sorry, Mr. Boissonnault, but I disagree with that. It's not the company's responsibility; it's the director's. In this case, you were the director, and it was your responsibility.

When you took up your duties as a member of Parliament, it was your responsibility to ensure that you were no longer a director of a company that continued to receive contracts from the federal government.

That was your responsibility, and I would like you to assume it today. You took responsibility for a number of other problematic situations, but, in this case, you say you're not responsible. That's unfortunate.

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I was not a director, Ms. Sinclair‑Desgagné. It simply wasn't reflected in the registry. I have documents signed by lawyers that attest to the fact that I was no longer a director after I was elected.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Jamie Schmale]

Thank you very much for that line of questioning.

Next, we have the NDP and Ms. Idlout for six minutes.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

[Member spoke in Inuktitut, interpreted as follows:]

Thank you, Chairperson.

First I would like to ask this question: When you stated that you were Cree, what Cree nation did you say you belonged to?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Chair, I don't seem to have translation.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Jamie Schmale]

He is not getting translation.

Can we do a quick test?

Do you have it now, Mr. Boissonnault?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I have selected—

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Jamie Schmale]

Okay.

Ms. Idlout, do you mind repeating your question? I will not run the clock for your repeat question.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

[Member spoke in Inuktitut, interpreted as follows:] Thank you, Chairperson.

Thank you for appearing.

First, when you claimed your family was Cree, what Cree nation did they belong to?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Chair, I'm very sorry, but I have Inuktitut chosen on my screen, and yet I'm not hearing anything come from the interpreters.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

On a point of order, Chair, we can all hear the translation. Maybe it's a difficult question, but we can all hear the translation.

One just needs to select the English channel, obviously.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Jamie Schmale]

Mr. Genuis, hang on.

I believe, as it has been pointed out—

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Chair, I have a point of order.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Jamie Schmale]

Go ahead, Mr. Drouin.

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Chair, the French interpretation is not working.

I thank my colleague for his advice, but it's not working.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Jamie Schmale]

Do we have any interpretation that we're hearing right now?

English is working.

I'll switch over to the French channel here. French is working.

Ms. Idlout, maybe our Inuktitut interpreter could...?

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

[Member spoke in Inuktitut, interpreted as follows:]

Thank you for appearing.

First, I would like to ask you about when you claimed your family was Cree. My question is this: What Cree nation does your family belong to?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Thanks very much, Ms. Idlout. I appreciate your question and I appreciate your repeating it.

I grew up understanding that my grandmother was Cree, and I didn't question my family about which nation or which place. It was our family, our story, and it was as I understood it growing up in our family. It was one of those things we learned about. We didn't talk about it a lot, but growing up with my great-grandmother, I know that she wasn't part of a nation. She married a settler. There was no first nation she was connected to, because she had married into a European family, so after that I didn't call it—

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

[Member spoke in Inuktitut, interpreted as follows:]

Thank you for answering my question. I'll keep going.

I also know a white person who was adopted by an indigenous family, but he has always stated that he is not indigenous and that he is a white person. There is nothing to discredit him as being indigenous.

I will ask you this: How important is your consent before publications are made about you?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

If I understand the translation, Ms. Idlout, I take very seriously the fact that I am not indigenous. I've never claimed indigenous status.

All of the articles about me that have been full of misinformation—

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

[Member spoke in Inuktitut, interpreted as follows:]

I'm sorry. You're not answering my question. I'm going to ask you this: How important is your consent before publications are made about you?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I think that it's important to have consent about who I am and about identities before things are published.

It doesn't always happen that way. People publish things about me without my consent regularly. When it comes to my family's indigenous heritage, I wanted to be clear about it, to be sensitive about it and to never claim indigenous status. That's what I attempted to do in the past. I understand that I could have been clearer about that. For that, Ms. Idlout, I have apologized, and I hold to that apology.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

[Member spoke in Inuktitut, interpreted as follows:]

Thank you.

There are now several incidents when you said there were others who published mistakes about your identity. My question is this: How clear have you been to others that you need to provide consent when they publish anything about you? How clear have you been to others?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Any time I've seen my name associated with indigenous status, I have been quick to change that, because I have no claim to indigenous status and I have never claimed indigenous status. If ever I heard somebody refer to me as an indigenous person, I went to great lengths to correct that. I don't claim Indigenous status. I never have and I never will.