Government Operations Committee on Oct. 31st, 2023

[David Yeo]

—but we have a shared services model that helps both companies basically thrive as to what we're doing today.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Thank you. In a minute we learned that you have two employees.

Dalian and Coradix were paid a combined $4.3 million for the ArriveCAN program. Is that correct?

[Colin Wood]

Approximately, yes.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

What value did Canadians receive for that $4.3 million?

[Colin Wood]

We received approximately 20 task authorizations to deliver IT professional services in software development, testing, project management, technology architecture and cybersecurity. Those were—

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Sir, did your employees do that or did you subcontract that work out?

[Colin Wood]

We work with IT consultants and their subcontractors.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Do you have ongoing business with GC Strategies?

[Colin Wood]

No. They are a subcontractor that we have worked with occasionally.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Was Botler a subcontractor of yours?

[Colin Wood]

No.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Do all of your subcontractors have appropriate security clearance?

[Colin Wood]

Absolutely.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

So GC Strategies had the appropriate security clearance always to see the material that they worked on.

[Colin Wood]

I'm not sure I understand your question.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Did GC Strategies always have the appropriate security clearance for the projects that they were working on?

[Colin Wood]

Contractors that appear on our contracts must have security duplicated by the company holding the contract. As such, anybody being put forward on a task authorization to any government department, including CBSA, has to have a duplication of their security clearance by that firm.

Therefore, we held the security clearance for those three contractors on that TA.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Did everyone at Botler have the appropriate security clearance for the work they did?

[Colin Wood]

That's what I'm just communicating to you. The three consultants that were on that TA all had security clearance.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

The folks at Botler said they did not have the appropriate security clearance for the work they were contracted to do.

[Colin Wood]

Mr. Chair and member, we processed their clearances ourselves and granted their security clearance through our security group, by CISD.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Okay.

[Colin Wood]

In addition, they were approved by CBSA's internal screening.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

You also applied the same vetting to their CVs that included their work history. Is that correct?

[Colin Wood]

Those CVs were provided by GC Strategies. Unfortunately, some of the information on those CVs was incorrect.