The RCMP commissioner confirmed to the government ethics committee that the force is investigating the controversial ArriveCan application.
“We did receive a complaint referring to inappropriate allegations, and that was not related to ArriveCan. And now with the ArriveCan, we’ve blended them both into one investigation,” testified RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme on Feb. 27. He added that they would not comment on the investigation further, as it was “ongoing.”
Under questioning by Conservative MP Michael Barrett, RCMP Staff Sergeant Frédéric Pincince added that the RCMP was reviewing the auditor general’s recent report on ArriveCan and would “take action as required.”
Auditor General Karen Hogan’s Feb. 12 report on the ArriveCan app, which was used to check the COVID-19 vaccine status of people arriving in Canada, found the app ended up costing a total of $59.5 million. But the exact cost could not be determined due to a lack of documentation around the app’s procurement and development.
Allegations
On Feb. 14, Ms. Hogan told MPs on the Government Operations Committee (OGGO) that she had met with the RCMP to discuss the “generalities” of her report on ArriveCan before it had been released. The auditor general said she would hand over relevant ArriveCan documents to the RCMP if they requested them through a production order.Back in October 2023, the RCMP confirmed it was investigating the potential misconduct of three companies that worked on the ArriveCan app—GC Strategies, Dalian, and Coradix—but not ArriveCan specifically. The auditor general’s report estimated that GC Strategies received $19.1 million for work as of March 31, 2023, while Dalian, in a joint venture with Coradix, received $7.9 million.
