Mr. Chair, thank you for again inviting us to discuss our report on ArriveCAN. I would like to acknowledge that this hearing is taking place on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.
This audit examined whether the Canada Border Services Agency, the Public Health Agency of Canada and Public Services and Procurement Canada managed all aspects of the ArriveCAN application in a way that delivered value for money.
I would like to note that the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat was not examined as part of our audit. The secretariat is responsible for ensuring that tax dollars are spent wisely and effectively for Canadians. The Treasury Board of Canada has issued policies and directives on program management and contracting to departments and agencies. When it comes to contracting and procurement, Public Services and Procurement Canada has also developed the supply manual.
As we indicated in our report, while the secretariat introduced some flexibilities into the procurement and contract processes during the pandemic to achieve results quickly, it still insisted that government organizations demonstrate due diligence and controls around expenditures and document their decisions for accountability purposes.
During our previous appearances before this committee, we said that, in the case of ArriveCAN, we didn't find records to clearly show how much was spent on what, who did the work, or how and why contracting decisions were made. And that paper trail should have existed.
This concludes my opening statement. We will be pleased to answer any questions from committee members.