(Ottawa) More than half a dozen investigations have been opened into irregularities in the awarding of federal contracts, senior leaders of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said Tuesday. This includes the one on cost overruns surrounding the ArriveCAN application launched in the wake of the Auditor General’s report.
“The RCMP is investigating and using all available information, including the Auditor General’s performance audit report and information from the Procurement Ombudsman. The RCMP has several ongoing investigations into these matters,” said Federal Police Commissioner Michael Duheme during his testimony to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Accounts.
“In the case of ArriveCAN, the RCMP can confirm that they are investigating all related matters to determine whether a criminal offense has been committed,” he added.
Deputy Commissioner Mark Flynn said only one investigation has been opened into ArriveCAN, but several others have also been launched into irregularities in the awarding of federal contracts.
“More than six? asked Conservative MP Larry Brock.
“I would say yes,” Deputy Commissioner Flynn replied. This will be the only clarification I will give. »
He was careful not to reveal who the targets of these investigations were and whether they affected senior civil servants or even ministers, as Mr. Brock asked. Both RCMP leaders have repeatedly stressed the importance of protecting the integrity of these investigations.
The home of Kristian Firth, one of two partners at GC Strategies, was searched in April the day before he gave evidence in the House of Commons. The RCMP had clarified that it was not linked to the investigation opened in the wake of the ArriveCAN scandal. According to the Auditor General, the two-employee firm received nearly a third of the $60 million that the app developed during the pandemic ended up costing.
The RCMP also opened an investigation following allegations raised by the Montreal firm Botler AI which had dealt with GC Strategies as part of another project prior to ArriveCAN. Its leaders alerted the Canada Border Services Agency in 2021 after observing questionable practices. They denounced “systemic corruption” in the government apparatus in parliamentary committee last fall.
Their names were allegedly used without their knowledge to invoice for work that they did not perform. GC Strategies also allegedly inflated their experience in their resumes submitted to the federal government, a practice that allows them to obtain a better rate.
