Public Sector Integrity Commissioner Launches Probe Into ArriveCan Allegations

A smartphone set to the opening screen of the ArriveCan app is seen in a file photo. The Canadian Press/Giordano Ciampini

The Public Sector Integrity Commissioner is launching an investigation into the controversial ArriveCan app, including looking into allegations that two former Canada border agency employees were reprimanded after criticizing officials at the agency.

The investigation was confirmed in a written response to Conservative MP Kelly Block, who had previously sent a letter to Integrity Commissioner Harriet Solloway about the government’s management of ArriveCan. In the response, which was originally obtained by The Globe and Mail, Ms. Solloway says her office has taken note of a motion the Commons government operations committee unanimously approved last month that called on her office to investigate.

“I recently informed the Clerk of the Committee, after a detailed analysis of the information available to my Office, of my decision to commence an investigation into several allegations of wrongdoing as defined under the Act in relation to the development and management of ArriveCan,” Ms. Solloway wrote in the letter.

Ms. Solloway added that due to confidentiality provisions under the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, which governs her office, there were limitations on what she could disclose.

The integrity commissioner’s investigation is one of several that have been launched into the ArriveCan app, which cost an estimated $59.5 million to develop according to the auditor general’s report released Feb. 12. Auditor General Karen Hogan found there was a “glaring disregard for basic management and contracting practices” among several federal agencies in the app’s development and implementation.

While ArriveCan is being studied by the government operations committee and public accounts committee, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is also conducting an internal investigation. In addition, the RCMP has said it is investigating allegations of wrongdoing related to the CBSA’s interactions with private companies that worked on the app.

The Treasury Board and Indigenous Service Canada have also announced plans for reviews of its contracting practices because of ArriveCan, and Public Services and Procurement Canada have suspended contract work with the three companies who worked on ArriveCan: GC Strategies, Coradix, and Dalian Enterprises.

Former CBSA Employees Suspended

The government operations committee called for the integrity commissioner to investigate ArriveCan after two former CBSA officials, Cameron MacDonald and Antonio Utano, claimed they had been suspended without pay as part of a “campaign of intimidation” meant to silence them.

Back in November 2023, Mr. MacDonald testified at the committee that former CBSA vice-president Minh Doan had lied about not knowing who at the agency had selected GC Strategies to work on ArriveCan. Mr. MacDonald also accused Mr. Doan of threatening him during a phone call in 2022.

When testifying later in February 2024, Mr. MacDonald and Mr. Utano also accused Mr. Doan of deleting tens of thousands of ArriveCan-related emails as part of a coverup by CBSA managers. Mr. Doan has denied the allegations.

Ms. Solloway’s letter says Mr. MacDonald and Mr. Utano have given the integrity commissioner permission to disclose that they filed complaints to her office about alleged reprisal measures taken against them after testifying before the government operations committee.

“Their complaints are being dealt with under the Act. To protect the complainants’ personal information and the confidentiality and integrity of the process, I am unable to comment further on ongoing matters,” the letter said.

The Epoch Times contacted the integrity commissioner for comment but didn’t receive a response by publication time.