ArriveCan Was ‘Optimal Use’ of Taxpayer Dollars, Says Trudeau

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with reporters before attending caucus on Parliament Hill, Oct. 19, 2022, in Ottawa. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

The federal government’s $54 million spending on the ArriveCan app was an “optimal use” of taxpayer dollars, says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“The amount includes, of course, much more than the developer’s fees,” Trudeau said of ArriveCan’s cost during question period in the House of Commons on Oct. 19. “It’s extra services, the IT services, updates, call centres, and future costs.”

“We will continue to make sure that there’s an optimal use of taxpayer money whilst protecting them every single day and every single night.”

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) told The Epoch Times in a previous email that creating ArriveCan cost the federal government just $80,000, but the price of updating and maintaining the app brought total costs up to $54 million.

Extra costs cited by CBSA included “technical support” for the app and ensuring it met all federal cybersecurity regulations.

“Despite the little petty politics from the Conservatives, on this side of the House, we worked tooth and nail to protect the health and safety of all Canadians throughout the pandemic, including through the ArriveCan app,” Trudeau said during question period.

‘Someone Got Rich’

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre responded by saying, “It’s good to know but no surprise that the prime minister thinks that $54 million is just a petty matter.”

“One programmer demonstrated that the ArriveCan app could have been designed in a single weekend for less than a quarter million dollars,” said Poilievre, referring to one of two Canadian tech firms that cloned ArriveCan between Oct. 7 and Oct. 9.

“Someone got rich here,” he added. “Someone designed an app that didn’t work—that sent 10,000 people wrongly into quarantine.”

The CBSA told The Epoch Times in July that an ArriveCan “notification glitch” sent orders to a large number of fully-vaccinated, compliant travellers telling them to quarantine.

“The prime minister paid $54 million for an app that didn’t work,” said Poilievre.

Both Conservatives and the NDP have been pushing for further investigation into ArriveCan’s cost since the Globe and Mail first reported it on Oct. 6.

“Canadians want answers. They deserve to know where their money went,” said NDP MP Taylor Bachrach in the House on Oct. 17. “When will the government finally take accountability and disclose all the companies that got money from the ArriveCan contract?”

Conservative MP Kelly McCauley, who’s on the House of Commons government operations committee investigating the app’s cost, said the committee has asked for all government documents and contracts associated with ArriveCan’s creation and development.

“We’ll delve into it more,” he said in an interview.

Noé Chartier contributed to this report.