Ethics commissioner to look into Minister Boissonnault’s business dealings

The parliamentary ethics commissioner has reversed course and said he will examine the business dealings of federal cabinet minister Randy Boissonnault.

The surprise decision landed Tuesday during a parliamentary ethics committee hearing when Commissioner Konrad W. von Finckenstein committed to examining Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault’s alleged business ties to a lobbying firm and a medical supply business, which Global News investigations uncovered a month ago.

“Clearly we will look into this,” von Finckenstein said. “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.”

In earlier remarks, von Finckenstein told the committee that Boissonnault complied with the federal Conflict of Interest Act.

Repeating information the commissioner’s office had sent to Boissonnault on May 23, von Finckenstein said his office would not investigate.

But as he took questions from committee members Tuesday about new revelations from Global News, Finckenstein changed his 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,” he continued, adding that the Edmonton Centre MP only disclosed his 50 per cent stake in GHI held by his numbered company.

Earlier the same day, Global News reported that Stephen Anderson, the COO of Global Health Imports Corporation, allegedly forwarded a text message to a buyer on Sept. 8, 2022, purportedly from someone named “Randy.”

“Anderson, it’s 13:14 MST and 15:14 EST it literally takes 10 seconds