The Liberal government faces yet another ethics investigation for potential conflicts of interest.
This time, the subject of the investigation is Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault. The Office of the Ethics Commissioner has decided to investigate Boissonnault’s business dealings with a lobbying firm and medical supply business.
Ethics Commissioner Konrad W. von Finckenstein announced that he would be investigating Boissonnault during a parliamentary ethics committee meeting on Tuesday, reversing a previous decision not to.
“Clearly we will look into this,” said von Finckenstein. “If our looking into it shows there is substance to it, that there may be contravention of the (Conflict of Interest Act), then of course, we have the capacity to self-initiate an inquiry.”
The commissioner had previously told the committee that Boissonnault had complied with the federal Conflict of Interest Act and told his office that he would not investigate last month.
However, text messages obtained by Global News between Boissonnault and Global Health Imports co-founder Stephen Anderson from 2020 that surfaced during Tuesday’s meeting changed von Finklestein’s mind.
“It’s complete news to me, never knew anything about it. It obviously raises some serious implications if the story is true,” von Finckenstein said. “The ruling that we made was based on the information (Boissonnault) disclosed to us.”
Von Finkenstein said that Boissonnault only disclosed the 50% stake his numbered company had in the business of concern, Global Health Imports.
Other text messages obtained between Boissonnault and Malvina Ghaoui, principal of the California-based personal protective equipment procurement company the Ghaoui Group were also brought into question before the committee.
According to the texts obtained by Global News, Stephen Anderson allegedly forwarded a text message on Sept. 8, 2022, to a buyer purportedly named “Randy.”
“Anderson, it’s 13:14 MST and 15:14 EST it literally takes 10 seconds to complete a (wire) transfer,” reads the text allegedly written by “Randy” to Anderson, who then forwarded it to Ghaoui.
“I am telling you we are NOT ALLOCATING like this, please reach out and see what the reason is now, you assured me this morning this was done first thing…Be available in 15 for a partner call.”
Anderson and Ghaoui were allegedly discussing a deposit that was to be sent by the Ghaoui Group to GHI, which Boissonnault co-founded with Anderson in 2020.
Boissonnault was not in the office at this time and told the committee that he has not had any dealings with GHI since his election in 2021, stating, “I am not that “Randy.’”
“We have had no direct communication with Mr. Boissonnault at any point in our dealings with Stephen and the companies,” wrote Ghaoui Group representative in response to the allegations, claiming that Anderson had informed them that Boissoinnault was a public official.
Cabinet ministers are prohibited from operating or managing business while in office under federal law.
Committee member Anthony Housefather defended Boissonnault, saying that Randy is a very common name in Canada, with 28,000 Randys born in 1956, “A lot of Randys,” said Housefather.
A spokesperson for Boissonnault stated that at the time of the text, he was at a cabinet retreat and that “all electronic devices (were) prohibited from entering the meeting room and ministers were in lock-up throughout the day.”
However, opposition committee members grilled Boissonnault’s “outstanding” or delayed payments he’d received while in office, to which he responded by saying all work had been done while he was a private citizen.
“I am not a lobbyist,” said Boissonnault. “I have never been a lobbyist. And I have never had any interest in being a lobbyist.”