Canadian employment minister resigns after lying about his Native American origins
Randy Boissonnault was accused by other parliamentarians in Canada of pretending to be Native American for political and economic gain.
Former Canadian Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault.
Canadian Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault announced his resignation from Justin Trudeau's cabinet Thursday after admitting that he deceived Canadians for years about his ethnic origins.
Boissonnault, an activist for LGBTI causes, lied throughout his political career on several occasions and pretended to be of Native American descent. The politician, a member of the Progressive Party, claimed he had Cree ancestry, one of Canada's first peoples.
New Democratic Party (NDP) M.P. Blake Desjarlais, of Métis Indian descent, was the first to accuse Boissonnault. He demanded this week that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau kick Boissonnault out of the cabinet. Following the announcement of the former employment minister's resignation, the M.P. applauded the decision.
Among the accusations, he highlighted the contracts that a company partially controlled by Boissonnault took under the excuse of being a native-controlled company.
As reported by the The National Post, between 2016 and 2019, Boissonnault said on repeated occasions that he was "non-status adopted Cree." He then declared in 2021 that he was "white," and a few weeks ago declared that his adoptive mother and great-grandmother were in fact Métis, a denomination recognized as an indigenous people in Canada.
Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor will temporarily assume responsibility for Boissonnault's portfolios in addition to her current duties.
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