Randy Boissonnault

In Cabinet

Boissonnault was appointed minister of tourism and associate minister of finance in a Cabinet shuffle following the 2021 federal election by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.^[10] According to court filings, Boissonnault resigned from his GHI directorship as required by parliamentary conflict of interest rules. However, Boissonnault discovered in April 2022, that Anderson had not filed paperwork to effect his full removal from federal and provincial business registries, so Boissonnault instructed his lawyers to do so.^[8]

His last position in cabinet was serving as Minister of Employment, Workforce Development, and Official Languages following a cabinet shuffle in the summer of 2023. He is the first Franco-Albertan to be appointed to the position of Minister for Official Languages.

Boissonnault still owned 50% of GHI in January of 2021 when it won a $28,300 contract from the Government of Canada.^[11] The award of this contract was not publicly-reported for seven months, at least two months later than the requirement to disclose under Canada's access laws.^[12] He received criticism for these dealings, which he blamed on Anderson in a social media statement. Anderson fell under police investigation after clients alleged fraud by GHI by pocketing payments without delivering product.^[13]

Boissonnault received further criticism after conflicting statements about his Indigenous heritage came under scrutiny.^[14] He has claimed in the past to be a "non-status adopted Cree" person,^[15] and that his family members belong to the Métis Nation of Alberta.^[16] Anderson also described GHI as Indigenous-owned in conversations with clients.^[8] Boissonnault sat in the Liberal Indigenous caucus, which he described as “allyship”. He resigned from cabinet on November 20, 2024, days after the allegations resurfaced.^[17] In December 2024, he testified before the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs that he was not Indigenous.^[18]

Shortly after stepping away from cabinet, Boissoneault said that he had promised Trudeau to clear his name, and launched a lawsuit against Anderson, his former partner at GHI, for allegedly fabricating stories about him in relation to GHI.^[8] On March 21, 2025, Boissonnault announced that he was not going to run for re-election in the 2025 federal election, and the Liberals moved Eleanor Olszewski as a replacement candidate from nearby Edmonton Strathcona.^[8][19]