OTTAWA — The chair of the Liberal party’s indigenous caucus says indigenous identity is “complicated” after questions were raised about claims by two Liberal MPs who are currently part of the caucus and a minister who is no longer a member.

“It’s a very complicated issue and there’s no right answer,” said Jaime Battiste, who is Mi’kmaq from the Eskasoni First Nation.

“It’s not biological or mathematical. It’s a social construct, and that’s why there are challenges.”

Others say it’s not that complicated and want answers as to why Labor Minister Randy Boissonnault, who claimed to be Cre, was part of the party’s Indigenous caucus and presented as an Indigenous member of the party for years, and now they’re changing their tune. .

In 2018, at a meeting of the Canadian heritage committee, he referred to himself as an “adopted Cree from Alberta,” adding that his great-grandmother was a “blooded Cree woman” — a statement he repeated. on other occasions.

The National Post reported this week that a company jointly owned by Boissonnault unsuccessfully bid for two federal contracts in 2020 while identifying itself as “indigenous” and “aboriginal-owned.” The government has committed to awarding five percent of its procurement contracts to indigenous-owned enterprises. Since that story was published, Boissonnault has changed how he identifies himself, now saying that the family he was adopted into has “indigenous ancestry” and that his mother and adopted brother are “status mestizos.”

“I myself have no status, although I have participated in the Indigenous caucus as an ally throughout my time as an MP,” he wrote last week.

Battiste said Boissonnault is no longer a member of the Indigenous group and has never identified as Indigenous to him.

In an emailed statement, Boissonnault’s press secretary said the minister used an “identifier that was explained to him by an Indigenous researcher at the University of Alberta.”

“It was an explanation of his adoptive family’s Indigenous history as they understood it at the time. This is his background through the foster family he loves. He is not the minister claiming Indigenous status or having lived the experiences of Indigenous people, which he never did,” said Alice Hansen.

“It’s simply a reflection of his family exploring their own history, a process that has led to his mother and brother becoming citizens of the Metis Nation of Alberta in the past year.”

Battiste has characterized some of the public conversations that have taken place as a “witch hunt”, saying that some people may have been raised to believe they were indigenous, but upon further investigation it is revealed that they do not qualify for membership in the communities.

The Conservative Party, meanwhile, wants Boissonnault to testify before the ethics commission so he can “honestly answer for these serious allegations of fraud.”

“This is even more urgent given new allegations that his company fraudulently claimed to be Indigenous-owned while bidding for government contracts,” Conservative MP Michael Barrett said in a statement.

Despite Boissonnault saying he never identified as Indigenous, the Liberal Party’s Indigenous Commission identified him as such, along with Labrador MP Yvonne Jones and Nickel Belt MP Marc Serre.

Those MPs, who are members of the indigenous group, were also questioned about their indigenous ancestry.

Serre was removed from the Algonquins of Ontario registry earlier this year in an effort by the organization to strengthen its membership list as it works on a modern treaty with Canada and Ontario.

He said he would no longer identify as Algonquian, but rather as Indigenous and Métis.

Anishinabek Nation regional chief Scott McLeod, who has been a vocal critic of the government’s handling of Indigenous identity issues, said he had spoken to Serre many times about his identity and tried to explain why people could not claim indigenous identities without lived experiences and ties to the nations they claim.

“He kind of shrugged it off,” McLeod said. “They’re sticking to their guns to identify themselves as indigenous.”

Jones is a member of the NunatuKavut Community Council, formerly known as the Labrador Métis Association, which represents about 6,000 self-identified Inuit in the region but is not recognized by any federally recognized Inuit group.

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, which represents about 70,000 Inuit across Canada, says the council falsely presents itself for material benefits, while NunatuKavut says it is simply advocating for its members.

Nunavut NDP MP Lori Idlout, who is Inuk, also raised concerns about NunatuKavut calling itself an Indigenous organization.

Jones claims to be Inuit and has advocated for NunatuKavut members to have their constitutional rights recognized.

Asked if MPs with a disputed heritage sitting in the Indigenous Liberal caucus was a problem, Battiste said “politics is a numbers game”.

“And the more numbers you have that are willing to support the things you believe in, well, that’s a good thing.”

McLeod disagrees.

“I think (they identify as Indigenous) to advance their careers and get these special appointments,” McLeod said.

“It’s a benefit to them; it’s not a benefit to us. . . . We don’t need claims speaking for us.”

Hayden King, executive director of the indigenous-led think tank Yellowhead Institute, echoed what McLeod said, calling it a cycle that trickles out of the halls of government and into the public and vice versa.

“No one wants to hold people accountable for their claims, but it has become such a damaging phenomenon that there have to be some safeguards when it comes to access to power and resources,” he said. .

“That’s just not happening now, and we’re seeing the cost of the consequences.”

While these identity talks take place, the government is likely to lose its only Indigenous cabinet minister, Northern Metis Affairs Minister Dan Vandal announcing in October that he would not seek re-election.

Battiste said the cabinet needs to be representative of the country and just because Vandal isn’t running again doesn’t mean indigenous peoples shouldn’t have a seat at that table.

“I really appreciate (Vandal’s) time and I know it’s important to have at least one Indigenous minister in cabinet,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on November 14, 2024.

Alessia Passafiume, Canadian Press