Assistant Deputy Minister Catherine Poulin of the Department of Works told the Commons Public Accounts Committee Wednesday there is “sufficient suspicion” of wrongdoing in ArriveCan contracting. “We have identified criminality,” said Conservative MP Larry Brock, per Blacklock's Reporter. Investigators have uncovered evidence that shows ArriveCan contractors were awarded millions in overpayments without explanation. Documents have gone missing and two executives have been suspended without pay. The program, run by the Canada Border Services Agency and owned by Health Canada, was initially supposed to cost $80,000, and then increased to $19.8 million. Canadians ultimately paid $59.5 million for the failed ArriveCan program. “If there was any criminality that transpired we will refer it to the RCMP,” testified Poulin. “As soon as we are identifying some element of criminality we are referring those elements to the RCMP in order for them to decide if they will launch a criminal investigation into the matter,” she added.“Would you say this is a case of corruption?” asked Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus.“We are taking this information and these allegations very seriously,” said Poulin.“We have identified criminality,” said Brock. “We have identified fraud, forgery, obstruction of justice, breach of trust by government officials.”“Have you reported anything to the RCMP at this point?” asked Brock. “We are taking all the reports we are getting very seriously,” replied Poulin.“Have you made a referral to the RCMP?” asked Brock.“We are gathering all the information put in front of us,” replied Poulin. “We are analyzing it right now,” she added. “We need to see if the allegations are supported by other evidence.”“That is not your job, ma’am,” said Brock. “With all due respect that is not your job. That is the job of our professional law enforcement officers. If you have a suspicion of criminal wrongdoing, your job is to report that to legal authorities. Clearly you must have a suspicion of wrongdoing with respect to what is going here in ArriveCan, yes or no?”Poulin replied, “We are doing an analysis.”“Do you have a suspicion?” Brock asked. Poulin began to say, “As soon as we find evidence in our documents – ” before Brock interrupted her and said, “That is not your job. You are not an agent of the RCMP. You are a public servant. I will ask the question again: After everything I have identified, everything you have read in the Auditor General’s report, do you have a suspicion of wrongdoing, yes or no?”“We have sufficient suspicion,” Brock said, decrying the fact no manager had been outright fired. “If you were talking to professionals from the private sector right now, people would be fired for this.”“There would be accountability for this gross breach of the public trust,” said Brock. “I bet no one at the Department of Public Works has been suspended with or without pay, is that correct?” Assistant Deputy Minister Dominic Laporte confirmed no one was fired. “Nobody lost their job,” testified Laporte.Conservative MP Michael Barrett asked if taxpayers would ever be reimbursed for the gross misuse of funds in what he called a “crystal clear case of contract abuse.”“Can your minister of public works get the money back?” asked Barrett. “If our department was party to a contract where we did not get services that were supposed to be delivered we would absolutely have the right to go after a party to recover the funds,” replied Public Works Chief Financial Officer Wojo Zielonka “I can’t speak to the particular case.”“Is forgery and fraud enough for the minister to get Canadians’ money back?” asked Barrett. “That is one of the questions being looked at,” replied Zielonka.
