Canada Minister Resigns Over False Indigenous Ancestry Claim

A Canadian minister accused of faking Indigenous roots resigned Wednesday in a huge embarrassment for an already weakened government seeking reconciliation with native peoples.

Randy Boissonnault, who was named employment minister only last year, recently came under fire over shifting statements about his heritage. The opposition said his account amounted to Indigenous identity fraud.

His stake in a company that falsely claimed to be Indigenous-owned also came under scrutiny for bidding on federal contracts set aside for Indigenous businesses.

Boissonnault will resign immediately to "focus on clearing the allegations made against him," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office said in a statement.

Boissonnault has apologized for the confusion about his ancestry but insisted he never claimed to be Indigenous and never consented to his business partner's claiming their company was Indigenous-owned.

But this explanation failed to quell the controversy.

A Metis New Democratic MP this week accused Boissonnault of "pretendianism" -- a pejorative colloquial term that means falsely claiming Indigenous ancestry for personal gain. A Conservative MP called him a fraud.

At various times over his political career, Boissonnault has reportedly referred to his adoptive great-grandmother as either a full-blooded Cree or Metis -- a recognized group with mixed Indigenous-European ancestry.

Trudeau's administration has very low approval ratings after nine years in power, and after losing the backing of a small leftist faction in parliament faces possible snap elections at any time.

During his years in office Trudeau has sought to prioritize reconciliation with Canada's 600 Indigenous tribes, formally apologizing for past wrongs and earmarking billions of dollars to lift up Indigenous communities that have historically faced disproportionate levels of poverty and violence.

But he has also faced criticism for firing Canada's first Indigenous justice minister in 2019 after a falling out.

"A prime minister committed to true reconciliation would have removed Randy from cabinet long ago," the former justice minister, Jody Wilson-Raybould, posted on X.

"Instead, we get to watch white people play ancestry wheel of fortune," she said.

Several influential Canadian and US academics, artists and judges have in recent years faced accusations that they falsely claimed to be Indigenous.

Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor will temporarily assume the responsibilities of labor minister after the resignation of Boissonnault.

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