A Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) official told MPs the federal department has not referred any information regarding ArriveCan to the RCMP, as PSPC is still investigating internally to determine whether there is any evidence of criminality.
Catherine Poulin, assistant deputy minister of PSPC’s departmental oversight branch, made the comments while appearing before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (PACP) on Feb. 21.
“We are gathering all the information that is put in front of us. This includes what has been said in this committee, it includes the conclusion of the report from the auditor general. It also includes what we have heard through [the Government Operations Committee],” Ms. Poulin told MPs on PACP.
“We’re gathering all that information and we are analyzing it right now. We need to see if the allegations are supported by other evidence.”
Conservative MP Larry Brock responded that analyzing the information was the job of the RCMP, not the PSPC.
“If you have a suspicion of criminal wrongdoing, your job is to report that to the legal authorities,” he said.
Later, under questioning by Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus around whether PSPC had seen evidence of corruption around ArriveCan’s development, Ms. Poulin said the agency was “not ignoring any scenarios.”
“We are taking the allegations very seriously. There are assessments in place right now, and if there is any criminality that transpires, we will refer to the RCMP,” she said.
Investigations
Auditor General Karen Hogan’s Feb. 12 report found that PSPC, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and Health Canada did not follow proper management and contracting practices when it came to the ArriveCan app’s development, and key records around the development processes and financial decisions were also missing. The report estimated the app cost $59.5 million, but said the actual price tag could not be determined with certainty due to failures in documentation.Ms. Hogan also told MPs on the Commons Government Operations Committee on Feb. 13 that she had met with the RCMP to discuss the “generalities” of her report on ArriveCan, and that she would hand over relevant documents if requested.
“I said to them once it was made public if they would like to have access to our files to see our evidence, that they should send me a production order,” she said.
In October 2023, the RCMP confirmed it was investigating the potential misconduct of three companies who worked on the ArriveCan app: GC Strategies, Dalian, and Coradix. According to the auditor general’s report, GC Strategies received $19.1 million for work on ArriveCan, while Dalian and Coradix received $7.9 million.
Allegations of misconduct surrounding ArriveCan were first put forth by co-founders of Quebec-based software company Botler AI, who worked on a pilot project for the CBSA in 2019. While the tech entrepreneurs did not work on ArriveCan specifically, they worked alongside CBSA officials and contractors who did, and said they witnessed “corruption” and “fraud” taking place.
The RCMP confirmed to The Epoch Times that it had received a Feb. 13 letter from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who asked the force to expand its current criminal investigation into the contracting practices of businesses involved in ArriveCan.
“The RCMP is assessing the available information, including the Auditor General’s performance audit report and will take appropriate action,” said Sgt. Kim Chamberland.
