Former Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) president John Ossowski testified he “remains proud” of the work he did while responsible for the failed $59.5 million ArriveCan app. An investigation into the costly COVID-19 pandemic-era border surveillance program has been ongoing for months. Costs of the audit have not been disclosed. Evidence shows CBSA misrepresented the cost of the program to parliament and concealed numerous contracting irregularities, per Blacklock’s Reporter. Ossowski, whose annual salary as CBSA president was $273,000 before he retired in 2022, shifted all responsibility away from himself and instead blamed others for wrongdoing while testifying under summons at the Commons Government Operations committee.“If I could roll back the clock there would have been some changes but I remain proud of the work I did and my team did during the pandemic,” said Ossowski, who is now a managing director of Ottawa-based federal contractor Pricewaterhouse Coopers.“You’re proud of the work that happened around the app? It is shocking to me that would be your testimony,” said NDP MP Rachel Blaney. Conservative MP Kelly Block said “it is absolutely mindboggling to have the former president of the Canada Border Services Agency state he remains proud of the work his department undertook.”“It is actually the Agency that has served as the bellwether for the complete debacle we are studying now known as Arrive-scam and all of the other issues when it comes to procurement and contracting across all departments in the Government of Canada,” said Block.CBSA at the time of Ossowski’s presidency awarded $19.1 million in sole-soured contracts to GC Strategies Inc., a two-man consulting firm working from a private home in Woodlawn, ON, that submitted invoices at a rate equal to $2,600 an hour. The company’s office was raided by police April 16.“All the rules were in place,” testified Ossowski. “It appears unfortunately they were not always followed. I make no excuses.”“What role did you play in terms of oversight of the ArriveCan app?” asked Liberal MP Jean Yip. “Certainly as the accounting officer at the time I was responsible for making sure there was a system of controls in place,” replied Ossowski. “Those obviously are delegated down into the organization and specific responsibility was given to the chief financial officer.”“Did you have any involvement in the procurement process specifically when it came to selecting contractors?” asked Yip. “I was not involved in any aspects of the vendor selection process or any aspects of the contracts whatsoever,” replied Ossowski.Ossowski testified that managers “never corresponded with me or asked me for any advice on anything to do with the contracts.” He did not know who awarded contracts to GC Strategies, he said. Ossowski said he was unaware his managers attended drinking parties with the contractor in breach of public service ethics rules.“Were you aware of Agency employees hanging out with GC Strategies?” asked Liberal MP Iqra Khalid. “No, that was never brought to my attention,” replied Ossowski.“You were never informed about anything whatsoever with respect to GC Strategies being selected for ArriveCan? Never, ever?” asked Bloc Québécois MP Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné. “I was not involved in the vendor selection process. There is no record I was involved,” replied Ossowski.“Do you think you did a good job as head of the Agency?” asked Sinclair-Desgagné. “I always tried to do the best I could possibly do,” replied Ossowski.
