Poilievre calls on RCMP Commissioner to expand criminal investigation into ArriveCAN
A statement from the Conservative leader reads in part, 'I am writing to ask that you immediately expand your existing criminal investigation into the matters surrounding the Government's ArriveCAN application due to findings by the Auditor General that have exposed corruption, mismanagement, and misconduct on a massive scale.'
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme to expand a criminal investigation into ArriveCAN after an explosive report from the Auditor General appears to have exposed rampant corruption.
The ArriveCAN app was originally intended to be used as a tool in preventing the transmission of COVID-19. Passengers entering Canada were required to enter their personal information, including vaccination status, into the app before entering the country.
The app initially had a budget of $80,000, but over time this ballooned to an astonishing $59.5 million of taxpayer funds. Accusations of corruption and misuse of funds have been steady after it was revealed a company called GC Strategies — with only two employees — was given close to $20 million solely for subcontracting out the work. According to reports, 76% of contractors who received money for the app performed zero work on the app.
Poilievre called out the company and questioned why they were given the contract in his statement, writing, "Alarmingly, there was little documentation to support how and why GC Strategies was awarded the initial ArriveCAN contract through a non-competitive process."
Yesterday’s explosive Auditor General report points to waste, abuse and potential criminality by Trudeau government insiders.
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) February 13, 2024
I’m asking for the RCMP Commissioner to expand its criminal investigation. #ArriveScam
Sign here if you agree: https://t.co/boBIkdkbQP pic.twitter.com/jbc9VYuzOh
According to the Auditor General's report, the total cost of the app can only be estimated due to extremely poor documentation and record-keeping by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) throughout the process.
Poilievre went on to slam the Trudeau government, writing, "In short, millions of taxpayer dollars were wasted by Trudeau government officials who rigged the contracting process for a preferred company."
He added that, "The application also didn't work, as 10,000 Canadians were mistakenly forced into quarantine. This is completely unacceptable and reeks of corruption at the highest levels."
As reported by the National Post, a number of employees and contractors who worked on the ArriveCAN app have had their cases referred to the RCMP.
Many questions still remain as to how and why the cost for the app was able to spiral out of control, costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in wasted funds.
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