Ethics watchdog taking second look at Liberal minister’s business dealings
Randy Boissonnault has already faced questions over whether he was still active in a medical supply business he co-owned after he was appointed to cabinet
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OTTAWA — Ethics Commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein is taking another look at concerns Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault stayed in touch with his former company after being appointed to cabinet.
Parliament’s ethics committee has been studying whether Boissonnault was an active participant in the medical supply business he co-owned after he was appointed to cabinet, which would have violated ethics rules.
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The issue first came to light through a Global News story centred on text messages between Stephen Anderson, who co-founded Global Health Imports (GHI) with Boissonnault, and a client.
The text message referred to someone named Randy asking for a “partner call.” It was sent on Sept. 8, 2022, a year after Boissonnault said he resigned from the company.
Boissonnault was tourism minister at the time.
Cabinet ministers are banned by ethics laws from operating or managing businesses while in office.
Von Finckenstein obtained calls logs from Boissonnault after the Global News report and said he was satisfied then that Boissonnault was not involved.
“We looked at all of that, and there was absolutely no way that it was contact between him and Mr. Anderson.”
Anderson testified before MPs last month and more text messages mentioning Randy came out, which Anderson said were all the result of autocorrect errors.
Von Finckenstein said it is those additional messages he wants to probe.
“Now this new stuff has come up, which I wasn’t unaware of it and I wrote to Mr. Boissonnault again yesterday and I said I am concerned about this,” he said.
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The commissioner said he has asked for all the same call logs and text messages he received from Boissonnault for two additional dates. He said the question is whether the minister was involved in the business or whether his former business partner was using his name inappropriately.
“When I get that I will determine whether Mr. Anderson is using the name in vain or whether there were actually conversations.”
Von Finckenstein said at this point he is still determining whether there is any need to open a formal investigation.
Alice Hansen, Boissonnault’s director of communications, said they’re happy to provide the new information the commissioner has asked for.
“We will provide all records requested for the other dates. Minister Boissonnault was not involved in any of the text conversations that have been reported on and we are happy to show that again to the Ethics Commissioner.”
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The Conflict of Interest Act prohibits cabinet ministers and other public office holders from managing or operating a business or commercial activity. Any business holdings are required to be divested or put into a blind trust.
Anderson testified last month in front of the ethics committee and told MPs he never discussed business with Boissonnault after his re-election in 2021. He revealed he had lied to Global News when he said the Randy mentioned in the text messages was a different Randy at the company.
In a statement after Anderson’s testimony in July, Boissonnault said he has had no involvement in the company since his election and was deeply troubled by what Anderson told committee.
“I have unilaterally surrendered my shares of GHI for no compensation, and am no longer a shareholder. As the records I’ve given to the committee show, I have had no involvement whatsoever with the operations of GHI since September 2021,” he said. “If Mr. Anderson has subsequently been using my name without my consent to gain influence, he should simply explain that to the committee.”
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