MPs investigating ArriveCan will question an Ottawa insider who boasted about rubbing shoulders with every assistant deputy minister in the city, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. “It should be evident to everyone in this room as well as Canadians there is systemic corruption within this government,” said Conservative MP Stephanie Kusie (Calgary-Midnapore, AB) at a House of Commons Government Operations Committee (CGOC) meeting. “It should be absolutely evident.”The CGOC named Canadian consultant Vaughn Brennan as a reluctant witness, as he dismissed initial requests he appear for questioning. Brennan is scheduled to appear at the CGOC on Wednesday at noon. Subcontractors earlier named Brennan “as a self-styled political insider.”Witnesses testified he rubbed shoulders with every assistant deputy minister in Ottawa and considered $23 million on a sole-sourced contract small. He is confirmed to have worked with ArriveCan consulting company GC Strategies. Conservative MP Kelly McCauley (Edmonton-West, AB) acknowledged Brennan declined to testify. McCauley accused GC Strategies of playing hard to get. “That would be a polite way of saying it,” said McCauley. “We have not been able to get a commitment from them, despite our clerk going above and beyond in trying to accommodate them.”While the CGOC tried to accommodate it, he said it was having difficulties with it. GC Strategies received an $8.9 million sole-sourced contract to work on ArriveCan. Evidence showed GC Strategies pocketed an undisclosed commission worth up to $2.7 million and assigned all work to subcontractors. “It is a two-person company that works out of their basement who did no IT work whatsoever but simply did a Google search and found IT professionals,” said Conservative MP Larry Brock (Brantford-Brant, ON). MPs on the CGOC could not figure out who gave the sweetheart contract to Brennan for ArriveCan in November. READ MORE: MPs asked 32 times about ‘sweetheart’ ArriveCan app contractMPs asked 32 times, but no one from the Canada Border Services Agency admitted to contacting GC Strategies. “Nobody wants to take responsibility,” said Conservative MP Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan, AB).
