Government suspends Boissonnault’s former company from obtaining federal contracts

The national authorities has suspended Edmonton Centre MP Randy Boissonnault’s erstwhile aesculapian proviso institution from obtaining authorities contracts.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) suspended Global Health Imports (GHI) from bidding oregon entering into contracts with the national government, effectual Nov. 22, the bureau said successful a property release.

On Tuesday, Catherine Poulin, PSPC adjunct lawman minister, told a parliamentary committee that the Edmonton Police Service’s (EPS) probe into GHI was a origin successful the determination to suspend the company.

“We person gone done aggregate sources of information, including lawsuits … and the accusation that has been brought to our attraction precocious concerning an Edmonton Police Services probe benignant of enactment america astatine the close level of unit to instrumentality enactment nether the policy,” Poulin said.

Boissonnault co-founded GHI with Stephen Anderson, an Edmonton-area hockey coach, successful aboriginal 2020 aft Boissonnault mislaid his spot successful the 2019 election.

When helium was re-elected successful the autumn of 2021, Boissonnault said helium resigned from GHI and nary longer had immoderate relation successful the company’s operations. He remained a 50 per cent shareholder successful the institution until precocious June.

Earlier this year, a bid of Global News investigations revealed GHI’s ineligible troubles, including astir $8-million successful court-ordered debts, and aboriginal text messages Anderson sent successful 2022 suggesting helium was successful interaction with “Randy” successful narration to concern deals. At the clip of the substance messages, Boissonnault was a sitting furniture minister.

Ethics rules forbid furniture ministers from managing oregon operating backstage companies portion successful office, however, they are allowed to ain shares. Canada’s Ethics Commissioner looked into the texts doubly and decided not to motorboat a ceremonial investigation, stating helium recovered nary grounds Boissonnault contravened morals laws.

Boissonnault, who was employment curate until past week, exited cabinet aft months of contention surrounding the embattled aesculapian proviso concern and much caller questions astir his family’s Indigenous heritage.

He denies immoderate wrongdoing and has blamed Anderson, his concern partner, for utilizing his sanction without his consent for idiosyncratic gain.

Global News first reported the EPS was investigating GHI connected Nov. 19, conscionable days earlier Boissonnault’s ouster from furniture and the PSPC prohibition took effect.

Poulin said the prohibition volition beryllium successful spot for 90 days but tin beryllium extended, if necessary.

The EPS has an progressive probe into a July ailment that alleged GHI and Anderson engaged successful fraud successful 2022. The alleged fraud took spot astir a twelvemonth aft Boissonnault said helium resigned from the company. He was, however, a 50 per cent shareholder astatine the time.

In August, Global News reported that GHI had won a $28,000 contract to proviso Elections Canada with disposable gloves. That declaration was awarded successful January 2024 and was to stay progressive until the extremity of the year.

Elections Canada said, however, it has not been utilized and truthful it has not made immoderate payments to the company.

Elections Canada said the declaration did not see an Indigenous set-aside requirement, which is simply a mandatory request for national departments and agencies to grant astatine slightest 5 per cent of contracts to Indigenous businesses.

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In an unsuccessful bid connected a national declaration successful 2020, Anderson claimed that GHI was a “wholly Indigenous” owned company, archetypal reported by the National Post earlier this month. Boissonnault and Anderson were moving the institution unneurotic astatine the time.

Boissonnault’s bureau told the Post Anderson “had afloat work for the bids” and the then-minister did not consent to Anderson making immoderate claims astir his heritage.

Boissonnault denies helium ever claimed to beryllium Indigenous, but helium did place himself arsenic “non-status adoptive Cree” connected respective occasions successful the past. He aboriginal clarified his adopted parent and member are citizens of the Métis Nation of Alberta.

Tory MP Garrett Genius asked PSPC officials connected Tuesday whether Anderson’s mendacious assertion that GHI was an Indigenous institution factored into the department’s determination to suspend the company.

Michael Mills, PSPC subordinate lawman minister, told the committee that “was not a factor” owed to the information that GHI has ne'er been connected the Indigenous Business Directory, which lists the companies the national authorities should see to conscionable its Indigenous procurement target.

Businesses listed connected the directory indispensable beryllium 51 per cent Indigenous owned and controlled.

Elections Canada besides issued a afloat stop-work bid to GHI a time aft Global News reported that GHI was nether transgression investigation.

Boissonnault’s bureau antecedently told Global News helium had nary cognition of the Elections Canada contract.

Federal morals laws forbid furniture ministers from having stakes successful companies that are awarded national contracts, unless Canada’s morals commissioner grants them an exemption.

Boissonnault’s bureau argued the exemption successful the Conflict of Interest Act should apply. The morals commissioner’s bureau cannot disclose, owed to confidentiality, if it is investigating the matter.

— More to come