ArriveCAN update
The $60M boondoggle continues…
Everyday new scandals are exposed from the ArriveCAN application and the continued failure of this government to responsibly manage taxpayer funds is inexplicable. What we thought was the $54 million ArriveCAN app is now known to have cost a minimum of $60 million according to the recent Auditor General report that was released, and this is only the beginning.
The Canada Border Services Agency completely mismanaged the procurement of ArriveCAN on almost every level imaginable. These are the highlights:
- The documentation and accounting of ArriveCAN was so terrible the Auditor General is unable to figure out the exact cost of the app. Based on her best estimates, the app cost $59.5 million, but it is unknown if this number is more or less of the total costs of this application.
- GC Strategies, the two person IT firm that performed no actual work, were involved in creating the terms of the contract and competition for a $25 million contract that they won and were the only ones eligible. The two individuals have now been subpoenaed by the House to show up to committee by March 18th, or they will be arrested by the Sergeant at Arms.
- GC Strategies did not ensure their subcontractors had the appropriate security clearances before they tested the security risks to the ArriveCAN app. This means these subcontractors could have sold this information to bad actors to allow them to access Canadian’s private health information. This same company forged the resumes of their subcontractors to win these contracts.
Committees continue to meet to learn what has happened in this ArriveCAN boondoggle, and will get to the bottom of this scandal. Everyday more information is learned and more is sent to the RCMP, and we will continue to hold this government to account for its actions.