QUESTION PERIOD — Public Safety
ArriveCAN Application
February 13, 2024
Leader, we now know that the “ArriveScam” contracts were rigged from the start in favour of a two-man firm, GC Strategies. We all remember “Adscam,” leader, or the sponsorship scandal, where a Liberal government rigged public contracts so that public funds would be diverted to the coffers of the Liberal Party.
The Auditor General’s report shows a level of incompetence around “ArriveScam” that is simply mind-blowing. The rot is so deep and the Trudeau government’s efforts to cover it up are so enormous that one can only think there’s something more nefarious going on here.
Can you assure this chamber, leader, that not one penny — we have no more pennies — that not one nickel of money thrown around on “ArriveScam” did or will find its way into the Liberal Party coffers?
Thank you for your question. Unless and until the investigations by both the CBSA, the Canada Border Services Agency, and the RCMP, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, are completed and made public, none of us will know the full story of who did what. Although you are entitled to make the assumptions and innuendos that you do on this file, I will await the results of the inquiries. I have no information at this point to answer your question specifically.
Of course, there were no innuendos there. There was a question, and I guess the answer to my question is no.
Yesterday, I heard a lot of passing of the buck from ministers in the Trudeau government about their $60-million “ArriveScam” app — not from the Prime Minister, of course. He stays silent because he has zero respect for taxpayers.
Something I didn’t hear the Liberal government say was a promise to tell Canadians how much “ArriveScam” cost. The Auditor General could only provide an estimate.
Will the Trudeau government tell Canadians exactly how their “ArriveScam” app went from $80,000 to $60 million?
As we know from the Auditor General’s report, there was a glaring lack of paperwork in the procurement process that was followed within the CBSA. That made it impossible for the Auditor General to have more than the estimate of the costs, which she shared with us. The answer is I do not know the answer, and I don’t know when that answer will actually be available.
Senator Gold, yesterday, in response to my colleague Senator Martin’s question about ArriveCAN, you said the investigation by the RCMP is:
. . . designed to find out if any wrongdoing took place and to make sure that those responsible are held accountable if such is the case.
In what world would nobody be held accountable for cost overruns that saw a project go from $80,000 to $60 million — with record-keeping so bad that we’ll never know the true cost? Seventy-six per cent of contractors did no work. Technical glitches saw law-abiding citizens denied entry into their own country, and another 10,000 law-abiding Canadians were mistakenly detained.
Senator Gold, we used to have something called ministerial responsibility in Canada. Of course, it was before the time of the new Senate. But instead of raising the alarm or asking questions during all of this, Minister Blair and Minister Hajdu were busy signing off on bonuses for those individuals involved. Since neither of these ministers possesses enough integrity to do the right thing and resign, why won’t our Prime Minister fire them?
I’m not sure where to answer into that rather long question. The investigations that are under way — to take a part of your question, first of all — by the RCMP are, by definition, criminal investigations. Therefore, my answer to our colleague’s question stands. There’s a difference between mismanagement and crime, and there are many shades in between. The RCMP is looking at wrongdoing in the criminal sense.
The minute that Public Services and Procurement Canada became aware of this issue — and this goes back to November 2023 — they took proactive steps to address it, including suspending the delegated authorities of 87 client departments, which included the CBSA.
The fact is that you can ask questions about the firing of ministers. It is very important that any action be informed by what actually took place on the ground with those who were actually responsible on a day-to-day basis for this project.
Senator, incompetence or crime or both should be unacceptable to taxpayers. Yesterday, you also took offence to the use of the word “corruption,” calling it hyperbole and saying the Auditor General made no mention of corruption. But, in fact, Ms. Hogan said she did not weigh in on the criminality because matters have been referred to the RCMP and she did not want to jeopardize their investigation.
Is that what it would take for a minister in your government to be held accountable? Criminal charges? Or is ministerial accountability reserved only for those who won’t take part in Liberal corruption, as was the case with minister Jody Wilson‑Raybould?
Again, I stand by my answer yesterday. It is appropriate for public officials, the Auditor General or anybody else, to have respect for the integrity of criminal investigations, just as we in this chamber have respect whether it’s for cabinet secrets or national security information. I have nothing further to add to my answer yesterday.
