Boissonnault's former company barred from receiving federal contracts for 90 days
GHI has one active contract with Elections Canada
The federal government has temporarily suspended access to federal procurement contracts for MP Randy Boissonnault's former medical supply company.
The former employment minister co-founded Global Health Imports Corporation (GHI) at the outset of the pandemic. It has been mired by controversy since the National Post reported that the company claimed to be "Indigenous-owned" while bidding for a federal contract in 2020.
Boissonnault has denied having any involvement in the business since he was re-elected in 2021.
Public Services and Procurement Canada said in a news statement on Tuesday that GHI would be suspended for 90 days.
It said the suspension might be extended until a final decision about "the supplier's status under the Ineligibility and Suspension Policy is rendered."
The department says GHI has only one active contract with Elections Canada, which issued a "full stop-work" order to GHI on Nov. 20 — the same day Boissonnault resigned from cabinet.
That contract "did not include an Indigenous set-aside requirement," the department said.
"Elections Canada has confirmed that no deliverables have been received and no payments have been made against the contract," the statement says.
With files from Kate McKenna and John Paul Tasker