RCMP Commissioner Confirms Force Conducting Investigation Into ArriveCan

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme waits to appear before the House of Commons Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics committee in Ottawa. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

The RCMP commissioner confirmed to the government ethics committee that the force is investigating the controversial ArriveCan application.

“We did receive a complaint referring to inappropriate allegations, and that was not related to ArriveCan. And now with the ArriveCan, we’ve blended them both into one investigation,” testified RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme on Feb. 27. He added that they would not comment on the investigation further, as it was “ongoing.”

Under questioning by Conservative MP Michael Barrett, RCMP Staff Sergeant Frédéric Pincince added that the RCMP was reviewing the auditor general’s recent report on ArriveCan and would “take action as required.”

Auditor General Karen Hogan’s Feb. 12 report on the ArriveCan app, which was used to check the COVID-19 vaccine status of people arriving in Canada, found the app ended up costing a total of $59.5 million. But the exact cost could not be determined due to a lack of documentation around the app’s procurement and development.

Ms. Hogan said the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Public Health Agency of Canada, and Public Services and Procurement Canada showed a “glaring disregard for basic management and contracting practices” with ArriveCan.

Allegations

On Feb. 14, Ms. Hogan told MPs on the Government Operations Committee (OGGO) that she had met with the RCMP to discuss the “generalities” of her report on ArriveCan before it had been released. The auditor general said she would hand over relevant ArriveCan documents to the RCMP if they requested them through a production order.

Back in October 2023, the RCMP confirmed it was investigating the potential misconduct of three companies that worked on the ArriveCan app—GC Strategies, Dalian, and Coradix—but not ArriveCan specifically. The auditor general’s report estimated that GC Strategies received $19.1 million for work as of March 31, 2023, while Dalian, in a joint venture with Coradix, received $7.9 million.

The allegations under RCMP investigation were brought forward by Montreal-based IT company Botler AI. The company, which worked on a 2019 CBSA pilot project and dealt with contractors and officials involved with ArriveCan, testified before the OGGO committee in October 2023 that they witnessed “corruption” and “fraud” within CBSA.

The RCMP told The Epoch Times it also received a Feb. 13 letter from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre asking the force to expand its current criminal investigation into the contracting practices of businesses involved in ArriveCan. It said the RCMP was “assessing the available information, including the Auditor General’s performance audit report and will take appropriate action.”