A person holds a smartphone set to the opening screen of the ArriveCan app in a photo illustration made in Toronto, Wednesday, June 29, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Giordano Ciampini

By The Canadian Press

ARRIVECAN

MPs to question main contractor on ArriveCan app at House committee

Mar 13, 2024 | 7:15 AM

MPs will have another chance to question the people behind the main contract for the ArriveCan app at a House committee meeting today.

This will mark the third time GC Strategies partner Kristian Firth testifies before MPs, with his business partner Darren Anthony set to meet the committee on Thursday.

The two IT recruiters did not build the app, but were tasked by the federal government with assembling a team to complete certain parts of the project, which had an overall cost of $60 million.

Firth has said the federal government was responsible for the direction of the project, as well as its objectives, budgeting and cost controls.

Last week, the government suspended GC Strategies’ security status, which prevents it from bidding or working on government contracts.

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The suspension came after the auditor general found government organizations that managed the project failed to keep accurate financial records and didn’t deliver the best value for taxpayer money.

Auditor Karen Hogan says Ottawa drove up the cost of the project by relying on external contractors because it didn’t have the resources needed to develop the app during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

GC Strategies didn’t respond to a request for comment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2024.