The House of Commons government operations committee yesterday voted unanimously to examine all contracts for the ArriveCan app..The vote came moments after parliamentary secretary Pam Damoff told the Commons she resented any suggestion the $54 million app was a boondoggle..“Who got rich?” asked Conservative MP Michael Barrett (Leeds-Grenville, ON). “Keeping Canadians safe has always been our priority,” replied MP Damoff (Oakville North-Burlington, ON), parliamentary secretary for public safety..“The Canada Border Services Agency is aware of issues with the contract.”.“It is a boondoggle,” said Barrett. “It is a failed app.".Secretary Damoff replied, “For the Opposition to call the ArriveCan app a boondoggle, when it was developed to keep Canadians safe, is appalling.”.Barrett sponsored the committee motion compelling disclosure of all agreements with subcontractors on development of ArriveCan..“We find ourselves in a situation where we’re checking people’s homework,” said Barrett..Cabinet in 2020 mandated travelers download the app to pre-submit proof of vaccination prior to arrival in Canada. The requirement was suspended October 1..The Canada Border Services Agency in a September 21 Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the Commons claimed the app cost $19.8 million. The actual expenses were more than double the figure, $54 million, including $8.9 million in fees paid to a small IT firm named GC Strategies Incorporated of Ottawa..“They came to us,” Kristian Firth, partner with GC Strategies, testified yesterday at the government operations committee. Firth said he and a partner were the company’s only employees..“To be clear we did not build ArriveCan,” said Firth. “We were approached to provide a team for consideration to fulfill certain ArriveCan requirements.”.“The $9 million we charged was value for money,” said Firth, adding: “When the government approached us to staff a team under their management and direction for a time and material engagement, we did so.”.The committee ordered Firth to list all subcontractors and details of fees paid on the project..“It requires transparency,” said New Democrat MP Gord Johns (Courtenay-Alberni, B.C.). “These are public dollars. Diving into a private company that got a contract with public dollars, I have no issue with it whatsoever.”.Mark Weber, national president of the Customs and Immigration Union, yesterday described ArriveCan as useless..“The only requirement we saw that was being fulfilled through the ArriveCan app, practically speaking, is showing that someone is vaccinated which could have been done by someone showing us their phone, by someone showing us a printed out piece of paper to show they’re vaccinated,” said Weber..“It’s one example in a long line of far-reaching technological Band-Aid solutions in search of a problem,” said Weber.
