OTTAWA — Ethics commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein said he would take a further look into private text messages sent in 2022 by a mysterious “Randy” that raise questions about Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault’s dealings with a former business partner a year after he joined the federal cabinet.

Speaking at the House of Commons ethics committee, Boissonnault repeatedly denied that he is “the Randy in question” and said that he has had no operational role in the company he co-founded since he was re-elected in 2021 — even though he still owns half of the shares in a numbered company that he disclosed to the ethics commissioner.