Government Operations committee  We weren't the ones who wrote—

Government Operations committee  I believe they misled this committee. They worked with GC Strategies. They went to 10 different departments. They've systematically told this committee that they thought they were going to make $26 million a year and that Mr. Utano had told them that they were going to make $26

Government Operations committee  No contracting was done until after the pandemic started. The first initiation, if you will, or the first series of meetings was prior to the pandemic, yes.

Government Operations committee  Botler keep saying that they did all of this work and that they were out all this money. They configured their platform as, I think, a specific example. We never asked them to configure their platform. We never asked them to do any IT work whatsoever. We asked them to prepare an

Government Operations committee  All I can tell you, sir, is that I helped write the statement of work. I worked with colleagues in HR and finance to develop a statement of work, which was translated into contracting things. There are six deliverables here. None of them are a pilot or a configuration of technolo

Government Operations committee  It's been 23 years.

Government Operations committee  Mr. Chair and members of this committee, I can understand and appreciate some of the questions that are being asked and why they're being targeted the way they are. When you're doing a whole bunch of renovations on your house, a general contractor is beneficial because they are

Government Operations committee  The president was seized, at the time, with the cases of sexual harassment at CBSA. He was trying to do everything he could to find tools or services to reduce it.

Government Operations committee  Mr. Chair, I have no problem with CBSA submitting those. I can submit from May 3 until now, since I've been at Health Canada, but I don't have access to my calendar from CBSA.

Government Operations committee  If you're directing the question to me, I left when ArriveCAN was at $6.3 million. I believe, out of the $54 million, there were things outside of IT—$7 million went to Service Canada to do things. When I look at the cost over three years, I think.... If you look at major IT syst

Government Operations committee  I think if we had taken an approach of knowing all of the business requirements when we started, we probably could have saved some money, but we didn't know what the requirements were. We didn't know what the waves of the variants were going to be, and we didn't know how to neces

Government Operations committee  I have absolutely no knowledge of any senior bureaucrat receiving kickbacks. I can honestly tell you that I have never received one, and I competed for my job in a way that was opposite to the inference that was made at this committee.

Government Operations committee  Yes, there were more than 20 companies in total. If it's okay with you, Mr. Utano can answer in more detail.

Government Operations committee  Yes. As I understand it, many of the technology companies or computer companies that the government works with use subcontractors, particularly in the case of unique or complex projects.

Government Operations committee  I have been made aware that Botler is an approved vendor. They became, as far as I understand, an approved vendor, but on a pre-qualified list, which is not a standing offer with the Government of Canada, and they did so only, to my understanding, in Q3 of 2021, well after I sign