Boissonnault out of cabinet to 'focus on clearing the allegations,' Trudeau announces
CTV
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced embattled minister Randy Boissonnault is out of cabinet.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced embattled minister Randy Boissonnault is out of cabinet.
In a statement issued just before question period, Trudeau's office said the prime minister and Boissonnault "have agreed that Mr. Boissonnault will step away from Cabinet effective immediately.”
“Mr. Boissonnault will focus on clearing the allegations made against him,” according to the statement.
Boissonnault has been under the microscope for months, from the House Ethics Committee's scrutiny on his former medical supply business partner's texts and subsequent probing around "the real Randy," to revisions of his past Indigenous identity claims after federal contract bids surfaced.
The criticisms of Boissonnault and calls for him to resign came to a boil this week, after the National Post reported his previous claim that his great-grandmother was Cree was untrue. Meanwhile, Boissonnault said that upon re-election, he cut ties with the company he co-founded — an assertion that’s been in question since last spring — but he’s now facing new scrutiny about the company claiming to be “Indigenous-owned” when bidding on federal contracts.
The announcement that Boissonnault is stepping down from cabinet comes after Trudeau insisted just yesterday that his only Alberta minister still has a place on the federal Liberals’ front bench.
Veterans Affairs Minister and associate defence minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor will temporarily assume Boissonnault’s responsibilities as minister of employment, workforce development and official languages.
