Evidence of meeting #81 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was cbsa.
A video is available from Parliament.
Chief Technology and Security Officer, Botler
The pilot went through the same contract as ArriveCAN. ArriveCAN is not one contract. ArriveCAN has been implemented through a series of contracts. One of those contracts is the same contract that Botler was executed under.
Liberal
Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
Did you see any of these other individuals use other subcontractors to do the work?
Liberal
Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
I don't know yet. I'm trying to understand which instance we're talking about.
You're talking about this particular one, which is a pilot. You didn't do anything on ArriveCAN. You only did this pilot piece. You're looking for that money to be paid and you have concerns about nefarious issues that may have taken place, so we're trying to get to the bottom of that.
Liberal
Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
The RCMP have written saying that they're not investigating ArriveCAN. That's not the issue. They are addressing some of your concerns through another issue, which I presume now is this matter. It's not ArriveCAN. Is that correct?
Chief Executive Officer, Botler
I think there's a confusion that this is about a payment. This is about the systemic corruption that we've uncovered. The concerns we have brought to the government, at every level, are about systemic corruption.
The systemic corruption was reflected in the manner that Botler's contracting was executed. It was reflected in ways that the ArriveCAN contracting was executed. That is what is being investigated right now.
Liberal
Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
I'm confused. Why did you do the deal? You had an opportunity to approach CBSA and put forward a proposal. Did that not occur?
Chief Executive Officer, Botler
The CBSA contacted us. We were not the ones who approached the CBSA.
Liberal
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
I'm sorry, Mr. Sousa, but I'm afraid that is our time. We'll get back to you.
Ms. Vignola, you have two and a half minutes, please.
Bloc
Julie Vignola Bloc Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I would like you to confirm or deny something.
You found irregularities in your contract with the Canada Border Services Agency, and you found exactly the same irregularities in the case of ArriveCAN, seeing the documents filed by GC Strategies.
Did I understand correctly?
Chief Executive Officer, Botler
That is correct.
I believe that Amir could speak a little bit more towards the irregularities that have been identified.
Bloc
Julie Vignola Bloc Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Okay.
Mr. Morv, according to your audit of the GC Strategies documents, how many days or years of work were billed to the government for the ArriveCAN application? Is that a normal number of days of work?
Chief Technology and Security Officer, Botler
Based on my assessment, ArriveCAN does not require $5.5 million of work only on the front-end development of the application, based on the contracts that were tabled by Mr. Firth to this committee. I believe that we worked around the days.... There were 32 years' worth of work required for ArriveCAN and only just for the front end of the app. Mr. Firth tabled 32 years' worth of work just for the forms.
Bloc
Julie Vignola Bloc Beauport—Limoilou, QC
So, for the form, for the basic skeleton that ordinary people see, 32 years of work have been billed to the Government of Canada.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
You have 20 second left.
Mr. Johns, we will go over to you, please.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
I'll take them. Thank you.
I'll just be really clear about the relationship with ArriveCAN. The fact that Mr. Firth and the CBSA and their relationship...and your highlighting how they do business is absolutely related to ArriveCAN.
I just want to know who wrote you the cheque for $112,000. Who paid you? How did GC Strategies pay you if they don't have a contract?
Chief Technology and Security Officer, Botler
That's a very good question, and that's basically the concept of a ghost contractor.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
They found $112,000 to pay you, although you don't have a contract with anybody.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
They got caught without a contract and they paid you, because they were worried about how they were going to make this work.