Randy Boissonnault

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific_prefix = The Honourable

| name = Randy Boissonnault

| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|size=100%}}

| image = Randy Boissonnault.jpg

| caption = Boissonnault in 2014

| office = Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages

| term_start = July 26, 2023

| term_end = November 20, 2024

| predecessor = Carla Qualtrough

| successor = Ginette Petitpas Taylor

| primeminister = Justin Trudeau

| office1 = Minister of Tourism
Associate Minister of Finance

| term_start1 = October 26, 2021

| term_end1 = July 26, 2023

| predecessor1 = Mona Fortier
(as Associate Minister of Finance)

| successor1 = Soraya Martinez Ferrada

| primeminister1 = Justin Trudeau

| riding2 = Edmonton Centre

| parliament2 = Canadian

| term_start2 = September 20, 2021

| term_end2 = March 23, 2025

| predecessor2 = James Cumming

| successor2 = Eleanor Olszewski

| term_start3 = October 19, 2015

| term_end3 = October 21, 2019

| predecessor3 = Laurie Hawn

| successor3 = James Cumming

| office4 = Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on LGBTQ2 Issues

| primeminister4 = Justin Trudeau

| term_start4 = November 15, 2016

| term_end4 = September 11, 2019

| predecessor4 = Position established

| successor4 = Vacant

| birth_name = Randy Paul Andrew Boissonnault[https://pm.gc.ca/sites/pm/files/media/documents/Canadian_Ministry_List_26_October_2021.pdf The Canadian Ministry (by order of precedence]

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|7|14}}

| birth_place = Morinville, Alberta, Canada

| alma_mater = University of Alberta

Corpus Christi College, Oxford

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Liberal

| website = {{URL|randyboissonnault.liberal.ca|Official website}}

}}

Randy Paul Andrew Boissonnault {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC}} ({{IPA|fr|bwasɔno}} ; born July 14, 1970) is a Canadian politician who was the member of Parliament (MP) for Edmonton Centre. A member of the Liberal Party, he was initially elected to the House of Commons in the 2015 federal election and served until his defeat in 2019. He later went on to win back his seat in 2021. Boissonnault held several ministerial roles, including Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance from 2021 to 2023 and Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages from 2023 to 2024. He resigned from Cabinet following allegations that a business he owned sought government contracts and inconsistent claims about his Indigenous heritage.{{Cite web |date=November 20, 2024 |title=Boissonnault out of cabinet after shifting claims about Indigenous heritage |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/boissonnault-leaves-cabinet-1.7388674 |website=CBC News}} He was one of five openly gay MPs elected in 2015 and the first openly gay MP elected from Alberta.[http://www.dailyxtra.com/vancouver/news-and-ideas/news/hedy-fry-wins-decisively-liberals-sweep-canada-majority-179009 "Hedy Fry wins decisively as Liberals sweep Canada for majority"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113193427/http://www.dailyxtra.com/vancouver/news-and-ideas/news/hedy-fry-wins-decisively-liberals-sweep-canada-majority-179009 |date=January 13, 2017 }}. Daily Xtra, October 20, 2015.[https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/edmontons-newest-liberal-randy-boissonnault-got-taste-for-politics-at-u-of-a-and-wanted-to-bring-generational-change-to-national-politics "Edmonton's newest Liberal, Randy Boissonnault, got taste for politics at U of A and wanted to bring generational change to national politics"]. Edmonton Journal", October 21, 2015 He stood down at the 2025 federal election.

Early life

Boissonnault was born in the Franco-Albertan town of Morinville, Alberta,{{cite news|last1=Estabrooks|first1=Trisha|title=A Force of Nature: From Morinville to Oxford to Ottawa, Randy Boissonnault hasn't let anything stand in the way of getting what he wants|url=http://www.avenueedmonton.com/May-2016/A-Force-Of-Nature/|access-date=November 3, 2017|publisher=Avenue Edmonton|date=May 2016}} on July 14, 1970.

After graduating from the University of Alberta, Boissonault studied at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. He subsequently worked as a lecturer at the University of Alberta's Campus Saint-Jean and as a journalist and political commentator for Radio-Canada and Les Affaires.http://randyboissonnault.liberal.ca/biography/ Randy Boissonault - Biography - Liberal.ca

Political career

Boissonnault was elected in the 2015 election in the riding of Edmonton Centre, the first Liberal MP to win in the riding for almost a decade.

Upon being sworn in as an MP, Boissonnault was named Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

On November 15, 2016, Boissonnault was named special advisor on LGBTQ2 issues to the Prime Minister.[http://www.dailyxtra.com/canada/news-and-ideas/news/feds-name-gay-mp-lgbtq2-issues%E2%80%99-advisor-210241 "Feds name gay MP as ‘LGBTQ2 issues’ advisor"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170601001553/http://www.dailyxtra.com/canada/news-and-ideas/news/feds-name-gay-mp-lgbtq2-issues%E2%80%99-advisor-210241 |date=June 1, 2017 }}. Daily Xtra, November 15, 2016. The role involves advising Trudeau "on the development and co-ordination of the Government of Canada’s LGBTQ2 agenda" including protecting LGBT rights in Canada and addressing both present and historical discrimination.

He was defeated in the 2019 election. On July 14, 2021, he was acclaimed as the Edmonton Centre Liberal candidate for the next Canadian federal election.{{Cite web|title=Edmonton Centre Acclamation Notice {{!}} Liberal Party of Canada|url=https://liberal.ca/nomination-notices/edmonton-centre-acclamation-notice/|access-date=2021-07-16|website=liberal.ca|language=en-CA}} He won the election on September 20, 2021, defeating James Cumming, who had previously defeated him in 2019.

= In Cabinet =

Boissonnault was appointed the minister of tourism and associate minister of finance in a Cabinet shuffle following the 2021 federal election.{{Cite news |last1=Curry |first1=Bill |last2=Kirkup |first2=Kristy |last3=Raman-Wilms |first3=Menaka |last4=Dickson |first4=Janice |date=2021-10-26 |title=Trudeau cabinet shuffle: Anita Anand moves to Defence, Steven Guilbeault to Environment, Mélanie Joly to Foreign Affairs |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-justin-trudeau-shuffles-cabinet-to-appoint-guilbeault-at-environment/ |access-date=2021-10-26}}

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 was part owner of Global Health Imports (GHI), a medical supply company. In January of 2024 GHI won a $28,300 contract from the Government of Canada.{{cite news |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/10707439/boissonnault-federal-contract-potential-conflict-of-interest/ |title=Boissonnault’s former company awarded federal contract in potential conflict of interest |work=Global News |date=21 August 2021 |first=Krista |last=Hessey |access-date=19 December 2024}} 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. {{cite news |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/10748675/elections-canada-boissonnault-contract-undisclosed/ |title=Why the contract won by Boissonnault’s former company went undisclosed for months |work=Global News |first=Krista |last=Hessey |access-date=19 December 2024 }} He received criticism for these dealings, which he blamed on a business partner in a social media statement. He is currently under a probe by the House ethics committee, and the aformentioned business partner is under police investigation.

Boissonnault received further criticism after conflicting statements about his Indigenous heritage came under scrutiny.{{cite news |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/randy-boissonnault-indigenous-claims |title=EXCLUSIVE: Liberal minister's former business questioned over 'Indigenous' claims in government contract bids |work=National Post |date=7 November 2024 |first=Patti |last=Sonntag |access-date=19 December 2024}} He has claimed in the past to be a "non-status adopted Cree" person,{{cite news |url=https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/2017/04/18/liberal-mp-randy-boissonnault-amazing-how-far-we-have-come-on-lgbtq2-rights/ |title=Liberal MP Randy Boissonnault: ‘amazing’ how far we have come on LGBTQ2 rights |work=Lethbridge News |date=18 April 2017 |access-date=18 December 2024}} and that his family members belong to the Métis Nation of Alberta.{{cite news |url=https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/randy-boissonnault-out-of-cabinet-over-indigeneity-claims/ |title=Randy Boissonnault out of cabinet over Indigeneity claims |work=APTN |date=20 November 2024 |access-date=19 December 2024}} He sat in the Liberal Indigenous caucus, which he described as “allyship”. He resigned from cabinet on November 20, 2024, days after the allegations resurfaced. {{Cite news |last=Tasker |first=John Paul |date=November 20, 2024 |title=Boissonnault out of cabinet after shifting claims about Indigenous heritage |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/boissonnault-leaves-cabinet-1.7388674 |access-date=November 20, 2024 |work=CBC News}} In December 2024, he testified before the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs that he was not Indigenous.{{Cite web |last=Ritchie |first=Sarah |date=2024-12-05 |title=Former cabinet minister Randy Boissonnault tells committee: 'I am not Indigenous' |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/randy-boissonnault-committee-1.7402529 |website=CBC}}

On March 21, 2025, Boissonnault announced that he was not going to run for re-election in the 2025 federal election.{{cite news |last1=Murray |first1=Nick |title=Edmonton Centre MP Randy Boissonnault announces he won't run in upcoming election |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-centre-mp-randy-boissonnault-announces-he-won-t-run-in-upcoming-election-1.7490657 |access-date=22 March 2025 |work=CBC News |agency=The Canadian Press |date=21 March 2025}}