'CBSA is punishing us because we told the truth': ArriveScam whistleblowers speak out at committee

'The Canada Border Services Agency’s documentation, financial records, and controls were so poor that we were unable to determine the precise cost of the ArriveCAN application,' stated the report from the auditor general of Canada.

'CBSA is punishing us because we told the truth': ArriveScam whistleblowers speak out at committee
CPAC and Jeff Whyte - stock.adobe.com
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Two civil servants, Cameron MacDonald and Antonio Utano, informed Members of Parliament on Thursday that they believe they are being unfairly targeted to protect their higher-ups at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in connection to the ArriveCAN scandal.

Cameron MacDonald, a former assistant deputy minister at Health Canada, and Antonio Utano, previously a director general at the Canada Revenue Agency, are currently suspended.

According to the National Post, "Both men worked on the ArriveCAN app at the CBSA at the time of its launch during the pandemic. They were suspended without pay after the border agency shared a preliminary report from an internal investigation about their conduct."

Both men appeared before a parliamentary committee in November, where Utano asserted that they are facing repercussions for speaking out. "CBSA is punishing us because we told the truth, because we told this committee they have been misled by senior officials from CBSA," he said.

Cameron MacDonald also informed the MPs, "The reality is this document is nothing more than a collection of baseless accusations, unsupported by any other evidence; accusations of wrongdoing, supported by cherry-picking emails and calendar entries. It should be called the preliminary statement of falsehoods."

MacDonald and Utano stated that they had not been given the chance to provide input into the internal investigation being conducted by CBSA, which resulted in their suspension. However, MacDonald later clarified that they had been invited to participate in the investigation but requested more information before agreeing to be interviewed.

"We have confirmed in writing more than three times that we are willing to participate. We’re just looking for a fair shot,” MacDonald said.

On February 19, 2024, a lawsuit was filed against the Attorney General of Canada in the Federal Court in Montreal by Consumer Law Group. This action follows a 2024 report by the Auditor General of Canada, which identified problems with the ArriveCAN app, stated The Montreal Gazette. The report highlighted that one of the updates in June 2022 led to the erroneous instruction for approximately 10,000 individuals to quarantine.

The report revealed a disregard for accounting practices, with missing documentation on the selection of the main contractor, GC Strategies, and overall poor record-keeping, making it unclear about the exact cost of the app.

"The Canada Border Services Agency’s documentation, financial records, and controls were so poor that we were unable to determine the precise cost of the ArriveCAN application," the report read.

MacDonald asserted that his ex-supervisor, Minh Doan, who currently serves as the government's chief technology officer, selected GC Strategies for app development. He alleged that Doan, along with CBSA Chief Erin O’Gorman and other high-ranking officials, lied during their committee testimony, stated The Post.

MacDonald ignored CBSA's internal investigations and comments from its leadership. He and Utano have asked a federal judge to stop the CBSA investigation and have an independent third party review the case instead. He also suggested that the Auditor General's conclusions may have been influenced by her not receiving the appropriate information.

"MacDonald said when he left the CBSA at the end of 2020 ArriveCAN had cost about $6.3 million. He said suggestions that it could have been done for $80,000 were absurd," read The Post.

Additionally, MacDonald mentioned that the total cost of the app itself ranged between $12 million and $14 million, with additional expenses for hosting and cloud computing services. He emphasized that each paper form replaced by the app cost about $3, highlighting long-term cost savings.

news Canada COVID Quarantine Airlines & Airports ArriveCan CBSA Canada Border Services Agency
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