Thank you.
I'd like to use the minute I have left to move a motion that was provided to committee members on Friday. It reads as follows:
That, considering that 22 service interruptions were noted during the first month of operation of the Canada Border Services Agency Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM) portal, some of which extended beyond 3 hours, and that the service standard during the first four weeks remains below the 99.9% target set by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA); Considering the numerous shortcomings reported by stakeholders, including errors in calculating duties and taxes, difficulties in making payments, inaccuracies in statements of account, problems logging on or registering for the portal, and an increase in the level of unexpected recourse to workarounds to manage the system since its implementation; Considering the high level of dissatisfaction expressed by stakeholders, revealed among other things by the survey conducted by the Canadian Association of Importers and Exporters among its members, the results of which, forwarded to the members of the Committee, highlight an inability to reach the helpdesk to resolve problems, and a lack of knowledge of CBSA staff hampering their ability to provide adequate support; Considering that all the stakeholders who testified before the Committee, with the exception of the Agency, have been sounding the alarm for several months, and again in September 2024, about the system's technical problems and the lack of training and consultation with stakeholders, and that these witnesses repeatedly contradicted or denied the assertions made by Agency representatives when they appeared before the Committee on March 19 and September 25, 2024; Considering that the initial budget allocation for the CARM was $371.5 million over 10 years, and that as of December 31, 2023, the CBSA had already disbursed $556.8 million, an amount that has continued to rise in 2024 and will continue to do so in view of the numerous deficiencies to be corrected; and Considering that the development of the CARM portal was initiated 14 years ago, and that the Agency has postponed the implementation of its platform three times since 2021; The Committee recommends that the Auditor General conduct a performance audit of the CBSA's development and maintenance of the GCRA, including the roles and responsibilities of suppliers and subcontractors.
I would like us to debate the motion, Madam Chair.