About the committee: Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates—Study on the ArriveCAN Application (November 14, 2022)

Committee overview and members biographies

Committee members: At a glance

Committee mandate

The mandate of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates focuses on the estimates process as well as on the effectiveness and proper functioning of government operations.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(c), the Committee's mandate includes primarily the study of:

• The format and content of all estimates documents; and
• the effectiveness, management, and expenditure plans of:
  • central departments and agencies
  • new information and communication technologies adopted by the government
  • cross-departmental mandates, including programs delivered by more than one department or agency
  • Crown corporations and agencies that have not been specifically referred to another standing committee
  • statutory programs, tax expenditures, loan guarantees, contingency funds and private foundations deriving the majority of their funding from the Government of Canada

The Committee is mandated to examine and conduct studies related to the following organizations:

Central departments and agencies

• Privy Council Office/Prime Minister's Office
• Public Services and Procurement Canada
• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
• Shared Services Canada

Organizations related to human resources matters

• Canada School of Public Service
• Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board
• Public Servants Disclosure Protection Tribunal Canada
• Public Service Commission

Crown corporations

• Canada Lands Company Limited
• Public Sector Pension Investment Board
• Canada Post Corporation
• Defence Construction (1951) Limited (Canada)
• National Capital Commission
• Old Port of Montréal Corporation Inc.
• Parc Downsview Park Inc.

Other organizations

• Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat
• Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board (Transportation Safety Board of Canada)
• Office of the Governor General's Secretary
• Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer
• Office of the Procurement Ombudsman
• Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada

Biographies of the Committee members

Kelly Mccauley (Chair)

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Edmonton West

• Elected as the Member of Parliament in 2015 for Edmonton West, re-elected in 2019 and 2021
• Also serves on the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
• Former Conservative Shadow Minister for Treasury Board
• Previously served on the COVID-19 Pandemic committee as well as the Subcomittee on Agenda and Procedure of OGGO in 2020
• Before his election in 2015, Mr. McCauley was a hospitality executive specialized in managing hotels and convention centres
• He has a graduate of BCIT in the Hospitality Management program
• He has a history of advocacy for seniors and veterans

Majid Jowhari (First Vice-Chair)

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Richmond Hill

• Elected as the Member of Parliament in 2015 for Richmond Hill (Ontario), re-elected in 2019 and 2021
• Also serves on the Subcomittee on Agenda and Procedure of OGGO as well as the Standing Committee on Health
• Previously served on the Stranding Committee of Industry, Science and Technology as well as the COVID-19 Pandemic committee
• Born in Iran, he is the first federal MP of Iranian heritage
• He has a degree in industrial engineering from Ryerson University and an MBA from York University's Schulich School of Business
• Before his election in 2015, Mr. Jowhari was a consultant and engineer

Julie Vignola (Second Vice-Chair)

Political affiliation: Bloc Québécois
Constituency: Beauport—Limoilou

• Elected as the Member for Parliament in 2019 for Beauport-Limoilou (Québec), re-elected in 2021
• Bloc Québécois Critic for Public Services, Tourism, Government Operations and Procurement
• Also serves on the Subcomittee on Agenda and Procedure of OGGO
• Previously a member of the COVID-19 Pandemic committee
• Before her election in 2019, she was a teacher in a private high school
• Ms. Vignola has a bachelor's degree in history and geography teaching from the Université du Québec à Rimouski
• Interested in issues affecting Quebec, notably producers and the phoenix pay system

Michael Barrett

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes
Critic for Ethics And Accountable Government

• Elected as the Member of Parliament in 2018 for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, re-elected in 2019 and 2021
• Conservative Shadow Minister for Ethics and Accountable Government
• Also sits on the Standing committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, as well as the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (Vice-Chair)
• Previously served on many committees, including Justice and Human Rights, Health and Procedure and House Affairs
• Prior to his election, Mr. Barrett served in the Canadian Army and worked as a human resources manager
• Also served as municipal councillor in Edwardsburgh/Cardinal from 2014 to 2018

Kelly Block

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek
Critic for Public Services And Procurement

• Elected as the Member of Parliament in 2008 for Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, re-elected in 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2021
• Shadow Minister for Public Services and Procurement
• Previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and Member of Panel of Chairs during the 41st Parliament
• Previously sat on many committees, including Public Accounts, Veteran Affairs, Liaison, Health and Natural Resources
• Prior to her election, Ms. Block served two terms as mayor of Waldheim, Saskatchewan

Stephanie Kusie

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Calgary Midnapore
Critic for Treasury Board

• Elected as the Member of Parliament in 2017 for Calgary Midnapore, re-elected in 2019 and 2021
• Conservative Shadow Minister for Treasury Board
• Also serves as counsellor on the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas and as a member of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
• Previously sat on many committees, including Official Languages, Procedure and House Affairs and Transport
• Has a B.A in political science from the University of Calgary and an M.B.A. from Rutgers University
• Prior to her election, Ms. Kusie occupied multiple positions, including chargé d'affaires ad interim for Canada to El Salvador, consul for Canada to Dallas, Texas and senior policy advisor to Peter Kent in Latin America
• Some of her duties before her time in office included negotiating free trade deals, work related to the Keystone Pipeline project, and lobbying the United Nations to place Canada on the Security Council

Gord Johns

Political affiliation: New Democratic Party of Canada
Constituency: Courtenay—Alberni
Critic for Public Services And Procurement

• Elected as the Member of Parliament in 2015 for Courtenay—Alberni (British Columbia), re-elected in 2019 and 2021
• NDP's Mental Health, Public Services and Procurement Critic, as well as Deputy Critic for Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
• Previously served on several standing committees, including Veterans Affairs (Vice-Chair from 2019 to 2020), and Fisheries and Oceans (Vice-Chair in 2019)
• Before his election, Mr. Johns was a businessman and city councillor in Tofino

Parm Bains

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Stevenston–Richmond East

• Elected as the Member of Parliament for Stevenston–Richmond East (British Columbia) for the first time in 2021
• Also serves on the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates
• Prior to his election, Mr. Bains was an instructor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. He also worked as a media and public relations officer with the British Columbia provincial government
• He has attended the British Columbia Institute Of Technology as well as the Royal Roads University, where he got a Masters degree

Anthony Housefather

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Mount Royal
Parliamentary Secretary to The Minister Of Public Services And Procurement

• Elected as the Member of Parliament for Mont-Royal (Québec) in 2015, re-elected in 2019 and 2021
• Also serves on the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage
• Previously served on several standing committees, including Justice and Human Rights, Liaison, Library of Parliament and the COVID-19 Pandemic committee
• Before his election Mr. Housefather was a lawyer in Montreal, as well as the Vice-President of a multinational technology company, Dialogic Corporation
• He served as Mayor of Côte Saint-Luc from 2005 to 2015

Joanne Thompson

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: St. John's East

• Elected as the Member of Parliament for St. John's East (Newfoundland and Labrador) for the first time in 2021
• Also serves on the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development
• Before her election, she was an executive director of the Gathering Place in St. John's
• Has bachelor in nursing as well as an MBA specializing in Social Enterprise from the University of Fredericton
• Has a history of advocacy for Human Rights issues

Irek Kusmierczyk

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Windsor–Tecumseh
Parliamentary Secretary To The Minister Of Employment, Workforce Development And Disability Inclusion

• Elected as the Member of Parliament for Windsor—Tecumseh (Ontario) in 2019, re-elected in 2021
• Previously served on the COVID-19 Pandemic committee
• Born in Poland, he immigrated to Canada in 1983 after his father was imprisoned for being a member of a movement opposed to communism
• Before his election, was a city councillor for the Windsor City Council
• PhD in Political Science from Vanderbilt University, an MSc in government from the London School of Economics and a bachelor in Journalism from Carleton University

Questions by members during question period

This document provides an overview of statements made by members of Parliament in the House of Commons related to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) mandate and the ArriveCAN app contracts during the 44th Parliament. These questions were asked during Question Period from September 20 to October 20, 2022. The following statements are samples of recurring questions.

ArriveCAN and contracts

• Pierre Poilievre (Conservative Party of Canada (CPC)) "a list of all the companies that were contracted to develop that app, which did not even work?"
• Michael Barrett (CPC): one of the companies the government says it gave $1.2 million to for its ArriveCAN boondoggle says that it did not get a dime. Where is the $1.2 million? Who got rich?

ArriveCAN and errors

Pierre Poilievre (CPC) "ArriveCAN app could have been designed in a single weekend for less than a quarter of a million dollars. Instead, the Prime Minister paid $54 million. Ten thousand people were wrongly sent into quarantine by that app when they should not have been."

ArriveCAN and cost breakdown

Michael Barrett (CPC): If Canadian tech experts do not know why the government spent this much money, what we want to know, what Canadians want to know, is which Liberal insiders got rich on these contracts?

ArriveCAN and the need for it (PHAC question)

Michael Barrett (CPC): Tech experts are confounded by its costing more than a low seven figures at worst. We know the app was not based in science. It was all based on dividing and stigmatizing.

ArriveCAN and tourism

• Tony Baldinelli (CPC): "This app has cost the Canadian tourism industry its 2022 summer tourism season, has wreaked havoc on border communities, caused chaos at our airports and has hurt Canada's reputation as a world-class tourism destination"
• Tony Baldinelli (CPC): "ArriveCAN app destroyed any chance of recovery this summer for our Canadian tourism sector"

OGGO ArriveCan meeting with GC Strategies and Mark Weber summary

Name of Committee: Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates
Date and time: October 20th 2022; 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm
Location: Room 315, Wellington Building, 197 Sparks Street
Subject: ArriveCAN Application
Drafted by: Parliamentary Affairs Unit Canada Border Services Agency

Witnesses

Customs and Immigration Union

Mark Weber, National President

GC Strategies

• Darren Anthony, Partner
• Kristian Firth, Partner

Highlights

The Committee convened to elect a new Chair. The Committee discussed the development of ArriveCAN. The Committee had three witnesses Mark Weber, Darren Anthony and Kristian Firth to discuss ArriveCAN.

Michael Barrett requested that GC Strategies give the committee the same documents that were requested from CBSA and PSPC. GC Strategies stated that due to NDA's they would be unable to do so. Michael Barrett tabled the following motion in regards to the production of documents:

"That the Committee receive all the documents relating to planning, contracting, subcontracting of app development and launch including RFPs, all documentations to contractors and sub contractors and that and that the committee also receive the total amounts that GC Strategies received from the government of Canada for the app, for the ArriveCAN app, the names of all subcontractors and delivery partners, how much they received in payment, what the deliverables were for payment. proof that subcontractors have security clearances and proof done in Canada." The motion passed. The committee discussed that they would like these documents before the CBSA and PSPC attend the committee on October 27th but the Chair stated that this wouldn't be possible as the documents would have to go to translation.

Mark Weber discussed how the funding from ArriveCAN could have been better used for other initiatives rather than ArriveCAN. Gord Johns tabled a motion "That the Auditor General conduct a performance audit to evaluate if the treasury board provides adequate guidance to federal departments on developing credible cost estimates in relationship to maker by decisions to achieve the objectives of best value and sound stewardship and access to objectives of best value and sound stewardship and access to departmental compliance with respect to applicable treasury board policies and guidance." The motion passed.

The LPC's line of questioning focused on how the company functioned and how they worked with government regarding their component of ArriveCAN.

The CPC's line of questioning focused on the contracts, who received the money, the name of subcontractors, ensuring that everyone had security clearance, that this was made in Canada, how the contract came to be and the reviews that the app had received.

The BQ's line of questioning focused on the contracts.

The NDP's line of questioning focused on how the funding could have been better used in modernizing the border and assisting BSO's.

Opening remarks

GC Strategies discussed the history of their work with the government and that they followed all the guidelines set by the Government of Canada and that they didn't build ArriveCAN but built a component of it.

Mark Weber discussed how ArriveCAN was developed without any consultation with frontline officers. discussed that this app doesn't make sense when the Government of Canada could have invested in new officers or border modernization. He also stated that this is a regular occurrence for the government of using new technologies without consulting front line officers.

Questions and answers

Questions from LPC members:

Anthony Housefather focused his questions about how GC Strategies functioned as a company and if they were approached by public servants or ministerial staffers or politicians. GC Strategies stated that they were approached by public servants due to the previous work they had done.

Majid Jowhari focused his questions on the project management. GC Strategies stated that the Government of Canada were the ones in charge of the project management.

Irek Kusmierczyk focused his questions on how many contracts GC Strategies had with the government and how many of them were sole sourced. GC Strategies stated they had only done this contract as a sole sourced contract and have in the past gotten their contracts with the government through competitive bids.

Questions from CPC members:

Michael Barrett focused his questions on the contracts how much money and who received the money, the name of subcontractors, the security clearance that employees had, ensuring that everything was made in Canada and how the contract came to be. GC Strategies stated that they are just intermediaries and that they followed all the guidelines set by PSPC and that they received the contracts due to their previous work with the Government of Canada.

Stephanie Kusie focused her question on the contracts and why was that contract sole sourced and what exemption did the government use to create a sole sourced contract. GC Strategies stated that it was due to their previous good history with providing services for the government and that it was that the exemption was under the national security exemption.

Questions from BQ member:

Julie Vignola asked about the amount staff they had and how many people worked on the app and if they paid the staff from the money they got from the government. GC Strategies stated that they have at some points over the past two almost had 30 people working on the app and that staff were paid from the money they received from the government.

Julie Vignola asked Mark Weber if the app was needed or worth continuing to invest in. Mark Weber stated that they didn't need the app and it wasn't worth investing in.

Questions from NDP member:

Gord Johns asked if the CBSA would have been better off using the money to create the app in house or how would that money have helped in supporting BSO's. Mark Weber stated that the money should have been used to help with the modernization of the border and that the government should have consulted the BSO's as most of them would have wanted more BSO's. Mark Weber also stated if the money would have gone into getting more BSO's they would have 500 more officers. Gord Johns asked if ArriveCAN is a cost cutting method from the CBSA. Mark Weber stated that it is.

Next steps

N/A

Related links

• OGGO October 17 ArriveCAN development (motion) transcript
• OGGO October 20 ArriveCAN development transcript
• CIIT June 15 ArriveCAN impact transcript
• CIIT September 27 ArriveCAN impact transcript
• CIIT October 4 ArriveCAN impact transcript
• TRAN June 2 Reducing red tape transcript
• TRAN August 19 Airport delays transcript
• OAG Pandemic Preparedness Audit