Evidence of meeting #135 for Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A video is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
No, that's not true at all.
The GHI shares were voluntarily returned to the company in June of this year, without monetary exchange.
Bloc
Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné Bloc Terrebonne, QC
According to your declaration dated March 23, 2023, when you were even a minister, you were the sole owner of a company that held a significant interest in GHI and did business with the government. There's something wrong here.
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
That's not the case. I was a shareholder, but not a director of the company. Everything was done in accordance with the law. I resolved the issue with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.
Ms. Sinclair-Desgagné, the company in question was under the management of a third party, and that's exactly what the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner recommended.
Bloc
Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné Bloc Terrebonne, QC
So why was that excerpt removed from your declaration two weeks ago?
What changed two weeks ago, Mr. Boissonnault?
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
That's a question for the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. As for me, I submitted the necessary documents.
Bloc
Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné Bloc Terrebonne, QC
You are responsible for your own declaration. It's your own online declaration that I'm looking at right now.
How come that excerpt disappeared two weeks ago?
Something must have changed two weeks ago.
Previously, it said that you held a significant interest in a company. You are entitled to do so.
Why, then, did that reference disappear two weeks ago, Mr. Boissonnault?
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
That's a question for the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, because the shares in that company were disposed of.
Bloc
Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné Bloc Terrebonne, QC
The commissioner would directing us to you, Mr. Boissonnault. The Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner would tell us that you're the one who needs to answer that question since you're responsible for your own declaration.
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
I'm going to look at the file, and I'll personally get back to you, Ms. Sinclair‑Desgagné.
Bloc
Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné Bloc Terrebonne, QC
Thank you.
I'd like an answer on that, Mr. Boissonnault.
Conservative
December 5th, 2024 / 9:55 a.m.
Liberal
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Jamie Schmale
Okay. Now we will go to the NDP for two and a half minutes.
Go ahead, Ms. Idlout.
NDP
Lori Idlout NDP Nunavut, NU
[Member spoke in Inuktitut, interpreted as follows:]
Thank you.
First, just to clarify, I want him to answer not just to Nathalie. I want him to answer to all of us, because we all need to hear.
My question now is this. If you are not the source of the mistakes about your identity, then who is responsible? Is your party so loosely organized that advertisements can be published without you ever seeing them first?
In my office, my staff shows me all advertising proofs for approval before publishing. Does a minister not have the same standard?
Thank you.
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
Thank you, Ms. Idlout.
At the time, I was not a minister. I was an MP, and this wasn't prepared by my office. I made an effort to correct the issue in 2019.
As it pertains to the 2016 Instagram post, I didn't see it; I wasn't aware of it. It's an important thing for the party to be mindful of and to correct.
To your point, I think it is a learning for all of us, out of this experience that I've gone through, to be very vigilant about how each of our respective parties refers to us and the lists on which we are associated.
NDP
Lori Idlout NDP Nunavut, NU
[Member spoke in Inuktitut, interpreted as follows:]
Why haven't you tried to correct this mistake for four years?
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
I wasn't aware of the 2016 post, and I'm aware of it now.
NDP
Lori Idlout NDP Nunavut, NU
[Member spoke in Inuktitut, interpreted as follows:]
Your answers are not really clear. When I first asked you how important it is for you to have consent, you said that it was important for you.
It's unfortunate that you are giving us contradicting answers, so you need to clearly tell us who you are.
When you responded that you wanted to ask me how you could make amends, this is not right, because we as indigenous people are distinct people. Inuit are different from first nations and Métis, so you need to ask your family how you will make amends to the people you have hurt.
Thank you.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Jamie Schmale
Unfortunately, we are out of time, Mr. Boissonnault. Maybe you'll have a chance to answer that question shortly.
The next round is for five minutes. We go to Mr. Genuis.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Boissonnault, you granted a personal loan and you wouldn't answer Mr. Barrett's questions about who it was to. I do understand the sensitivities around this, but the committee does have a hard time believing you and obviously has many questions about your business dealings.
I want to ask if you would be willing to provide that name in writing to the committee with the understanding that it would not be made public unless the committee saw it as being in the public interest to be made public. Would you be willing to provide the name on that basis?
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
Mr. Genuis, I will share this with the committee. It was a loan for a friend for a property, and it's not appropriate to share that person's name with the committee or with Canadians.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Okay. My request was that it be provided on a private basis to the committee for the committee to consider. It sounds like you're not willing to do that.
We'll move on to the next question. You continued to own GHI after you were elected. When did you step back from GHI operations?
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
Once I was elected in September of 2021, I sent an email to my lawyer, who contacted Mr. Anderson's lawyer to let them know that I was stepping away from the company.