Ontario-based firm GC Strategies was contracted by the Trudeau Liberals to work on an app called 'Covid Alert' prior to the failed ArriveCan program, according to Blacklock's Reporter. Cabinet members have ordered a ten-year audit of all financial transactions between GC Strategies and the federal government as serious, potentially criminal, allegations have been made, including missing documents and a bill ten times the cost of the original estimate. All documents must be produced before March 15 and the two GC Strategies partners Kristian Firth and Darren Anthony have been subpoenaed to testify before committee within 21 days or be taken into custody. Documents brought before the Commons Government Operations Committee Monday show GC Strategies in 2020 was paid $1.4 million for “software development professional services” on Covid Alert. No reason or further description was listed. Bloc Québécois MP Julie Vignola said she would “like to better understand this and how it could have happened.”“How can people who are merely consultants get in on these contracts?” said Vignola. “This was another app developed during the pandemic.”“It worked more or less, more ‘less’ than on the ‘more’ side, I’d say,” she added. “Who was behind all of this?”On June 18, 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the launch of Covid Alert. The volunteer program asked people who tested positive for COVID-19 to report to the government-run app, triggering alerts to other smartphone customers with whom they had contact. Covid Alert was disbanded in 2022 due to lack of interest after costing $31 million.Liberal MPs tried and failed to block the production of internal emails between GC Strategies and federal officials. “We are going to be committing staff and resources to basically go on an expedition here every time the word ‘alert’ is mentioned,” said Liberal MP Irek Kusmierczyk. “This committee has asked for production of papers in the hundreds of thousands of pages.”“I don’t see the cost-benefit of that,” said Kusmierczyk. “The cost is tremendous. I mean, hundreds of thousands of documents.”Conservative MPs ridiculed the complaint. “As we prosecute the Arrive-scam scandal we see Liberals are so concerned about resources when it comes to the small matter of producing documents for a parliamentary committee but seem completely unconcerned about the use of resources involved in this scandal in the first place,” said MP Garnett Genuis.“Sixty million dollars spent on an app is no problem according to them, but trying to actually get the documents that would allow a parliamentary committee to investigate it is suddenly a resource issue,” said Genuis.Evidence released throughout the ArriveCan investigation shows the two-man consulting company was paid $19.1 million for the ArriveCan app, then subcontracted the work to other suppliers at a 30% commission.Two Canada Border Services Agency executives have been suspended without pay.
Ontario-based firm GC Strategies was contracted by the Trudeau Liberals to work on an app called 'Covid Alert' prior to the failed ArriveCan program, according to Blacklock's Reporter. Cabinet members have ordered a ten-year audit of all financial transactions between GC Strategies and the federal government as serious, potentially criminal, allegations have been made, including missing documents and a bill ten times the cost of the original estimate. All documents must be produced before March 15 and the two GC Strategies partners Kristian Firth and Darren Anthony have been subpoenaed to testify before committee within 21 days or be taken into custody. Documents brought before the Commons Government Operations Committee Monday show GC Strategies in 2020 was paid $1.4 million for “software development professional services” on Covid Alert. No reason or further description was listed. Bloc Québécois MP Julie Vignola said she would “like to better understand this and how it could have happened.”“How can people who are merely consultants get in on these contracts?” said Vignola. “This was another app developed during the pandemic.”“It worked more or less, more ‘less’ than on the ‘more’ side, I’d say,” she added. “Who was behind all of this?”On June 18, 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the launch of Covid Alert. The volunteer program asked people who tested positive for COVID-19 to report to the government-run app, triggering alerts to other smartphone customers with whom they had contact. Covid Alert was disbanded in 2022 due to lack of interest after costing $31 million.Liberal MPs tried and failed to block the production of internal emails between GC Strategies and federal officials. “We are going to be committing staff and resources to basically go on an expedition here every time the word ‘alert’ is mentioned,” said Liberal MP Irek Kusmierczyk. “This committee has asked for production of papers in the hundreds of thousands of pages.”“I don’t see the cost-benefit of that,” said Kusmierczyk. “The cost is tremendous. I mean, hundreds of thousands of documents.”Conservative MPs ridiculed the complaint. “As we prosecute the Arrive-scam scandal we see Liberals are so concerned about resources when it comes to the small matter of producing documents for a parliamentary committee but seem completely unconcerned about the use of resources involved in this scandal in the first place,” said MP Garnett Genuis.“Sixty million dollars spent on an app is no problem according to them, but trying to actually get the documents that would allow a parliamentary committee to investigate it is suddenly a resource issue,” said Genuis.Evidence released throughout the ArriveCan investigation shows the two-man consulting company was paid $19.1 million for the ArriveCan app, then subcontracted the work to other suppliers at a 30% commission.Two Canada Border Services Agency executives have been suspended without pay.
