Conservatives to Put Forth Motion Compelling Company Behind ArriveCan to Appear Before Committee

Leader of the Opposition Andrew Scheer gestures as he responds to a question during a news conference in Ottawa, on May 15, 2020. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

Conservative MPs say they will move a motion to compel the heads of GC Strategies to appear before the Government Operations Committee, and if they refuse, the MPs want the House of Commons Sergeant of Arms to take them into custody and compel their testimony.

“This app [ArriveCan] had this $20 million contract where this company did no actual IT work and they have now twice refused to appear having been summoned by committee, and the effect of today’s motion will be to use the full power of the House of Commons to have these individuals appear before committee,” Conservative MP Michael Barrett told reporters in Parliament on Feb. 20.

Mr. Barrett said the testimony of the two managing partners was important given the auditor general’s recent report on ArriveCan, an app created during the pandemic to track incoming travellers sent to quarantine and later their COVID-19 vaccination status.

Auditor General Karen Hogan said her report found that government agencies did not follow proper management and contracting practices when it came to the app’s development, and key records around the development processes and financial decisions were also missing. As such, the report estimated the app cost $59.5 million, but said the actual price tag could not be determined with certainty.

To create the app, the companies GC Strategies, Dalian, and Coradix received more than $17 million in 2022 after CBSA had received allegations of contracting misconduct on the ArriveCAN app. GC Strategies only has two employees and was paid $8.9 million as a general contractor on the project.

When testifying in front of the Government Operations Committee (OGGO) on Nov. 11, 2023, GC Strategies partner Kristian Firth was criticized by MPs for apparently having inflated the work experience of the co-founders of Quebec IT company Botler AI. Mr. Firth told OGGO that he had mistakenly sent the wrong versions of the resumés to CBSA, an explanation that MPs said was not believable.

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While MPs on the committee have asked Mr. Firth and managing partner Darren Anthony to testify again, the men did not abide by summons sent out on Nov. 2 and on Feb. 9. Conservative MP Stephanie Kusie told The Epoch Times on Dec. 6, a day after the men failed to appear before OGGO, that this did not “deter the committee’s insistence that Mr. Firth must appear at a later date to answer questions for Canadians in an effort to get to the bottom of the ArriveCan scandal.”

Precedent for Issuing Subpoena to Testify

According to the House of Commons Procedure and Practice, committees do not have the power to punish those who fail to comply with their summons to appear and testify. But the matter can be referred to the House of Commons, which can then take “measures that it considers appropriate.”

Conservative MP and House Leader Andrew Scheer said while it was “unfortunate” the GC Strategies partners would be compelled to appear before committee, it was “essential that we use this tool if these individuals continue to ignore.”

Mr. Scheer added that there is a recent precedent for such an action, as House Speaker Peter Milliken issuing a subpoena to compel businessman Karlheinz Schreiber to appear before the Ethics Committee in 2007. “Yes, it’s rare, but we’re talking about at least $60 million of taxpayers’ money that the government used the pandemic as an excuse to ignore the rules,” Mr. Scheer said.

When asked by a reporter if receiving threats and harassment was a valid reason to not appear before the committee, Mr. Scheer responded, “When you take contracts from the Government of Canada, when you take taxpayers’ money, you have to be accountable for that.”

GC Strategies has not responded to The Epoch Times’ request for comment.