Don Martin: ArriveCan debacle may be even worse than we know from auditor's report
It’s been 22 years since a former auditor general blasted the Chrétien government after it “broke just about every rule in the book” in handing out private sector contracts in the sponsorship scandal.
The book has been broken anew.
In a rule-shredding repeat orbiting the dreaded ArriveCan app, Auditor-General Karen Hogan drew a paint by hefty numbers portrait of bureaucratic incompetence, dodged accountability and contractors treating Liberal government officials to fine whisky tastings.
What started out as a modest $80,000 piece of basic traveller-tracking software during the pandemic became a $60-million-plus boondoggle where juicy contracts were farmed out without competitive bidding to those without the skills or staff to deliver the goods.
The reviled ArriveCan app is a repressed memory for many travellers, who fought with the finicky technology while standing in customs lineups at airports or scrambled for Wi-Fi signals to fill it out at land border crossings.
But the auditor general’s detailed and damning analysis is the truly infuriating part of this technological ripoff. And Hogan says the worst may be in details she could not access.
Auditor general Karen Hogan responds to a question on her offices report during a news conference, Monday, February 12, 2024 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
For example, we still don’t know which bureaucrats handed out contracts to unqualified recipients, some without legitimate proposals to justify untendered money grabs, or why these specific companies received such special treatment.
No heads have rolled onto the unemployment rolls as a result of allegations dating back two years.
All we know is somehow GCStrategies, a two-person consulting firm based in a rural Ottawa Valley house, was able to write its own ticket to a $25-million contract despite having no hands-on expertise beyond knowing which bureaucratic backs to scratch.
In one case, they didn’t even have to submit a proposal. All they had to do was invite the decision makers to a whisky drinking event or a few dinners and the cheques fell into their lap.
But they were not alone. There were a number of companies, including the king of government contracts in KPMG, which received similar sweetheart procurements from velvet-gloved bureaucrats filled with blank pages where the detailed contract justifications should appear.
The faults and flaws which drove up contract prices were many and should’ve been easy to catch and fix.
The supervising power over procurement in Public Services did not review all the deals as one might expect.
In some cases, potential bidders drafted the terms of the contracts they would ultimately receive without any competition.
The lead agencies -- the Canadian Border Agency and the Public Health Agency -- each thought the other was taking the administrative lead so nobody was in charge.
Junior techs working the app were billing senior service rates and timesheets were not validated for work done, which helped inflate the daily pay rate to $1,090 per private tech employee versus $675 for an equivalent government worker.
What’s worse, if that’s possible, once the app was in operation it required a steady stream of major fixes, most of which were never tested before they were unleashed on the travelling public. In one case, the auditor general notes, that meant 10,000 fully vaccinated Canadians were needlessly quarantined by a glitch in the app.
It all reeks to high heaven and we don’t even have the kickers yet.
The results of an RCMP investigation are yet to come and there’s a bombshell report from the procurement ombudsman that was so "scary," MPs have deferred hearings on his findings.
While this brouhaha cannot be laid at the feet of the prime minister, it is symptomatic of what happens when a stale government sticks around long enough to develop excessively cozy connections with lobbyists and consultants.
While the size of the public service has ballooned under the Trudeau government, the use of private sector alternatives has kept pace at a tremendous cost to taxpayers.
The debacle behind the ArriveCan app is what happens when a government either loses faith in its own public servants -- or prefers working with silver-tongued friendlies lubricating deals with free whisky.
That’s the bottom line.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From AI running wild to collapsing ecosystems, government report outlines future disruptions
From artificial intelligence running wild to collapsing ecosystems, a new Canadian government report outlines 35 disruptions that could rattle the country in the near future.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
opinion Tom Mulcair: With Trudeau spiralling, Mark Carney waits in the wings
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Toronto Blue Jays fan struck by 110 m.p.h foul ball offered tickets, signed baseball by team
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
Matthew Perry's death is being investigated over ketamine level found in actor's blood, reports say
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
Police in Ontario say suspects charged in armed home invasion near Toronto part of 'larger criminal network'
Police in Ontario say a group of suspects charged in an armed home invasion north of Toronto last year were driving a vehicle stolen in a carjacking in Calgary just one month earlier.
Stolen septic truck swerves through traffic, spike belt needed to stop it: Manitoba RCMP
A 29-year-old woman has been charged after police say she stole a septic truck from a Manitoba community and drove erratically on the highway.
Orphan orca's extended family spotted off northeast side of Vancouver Island
Members of a killer whale pod related to an orphan orca calf that escaped a remote British Columbia tidal lagoon last month have been spotted off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.
Local Spotlight
Montreal photographer captures dramatic Canada Goose vs. fox fight on video
Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada Goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
Beyond books: Halifax libraries lends instruments, sports equipment, memory kits and more
Public libraries in Atlantic Canada are now lending a broader range of items.
'A special bird': The unbreakable bond between purple martins and humans
Flashes of purple darting across the sky mixed with the serenading sound of songs will be noticed more with spring in full force in Manitoba.
7-year-old Pokémon prodigy heading to Hawaii for world championship tournament
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.
VIDEO Born without front legs, this dog has been inspiring the world for 3 years: Dresden farm owner
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
From DVDs to rehearsals: Halifax theatre company transforms Video Difference building into arts hub
2b Theatre recently moved into the old Video Difference building, seeking to transform it into an artistic hub, meeting space, and temporary housing unit for visiting performers in Halifax.
'Another pair of eyes watching over me:' How a B.C. woman's service dog saved her from drowning
A B.C. woman says her service dog pulled her from a lake moments before she had a seizure, saving her life.
Starbucks fan on decades-long journey to visit every store in the world
A Starbucks fan — whose name is Winter — is visiting Canada on a purposeful journey that began with a random idea at one of the coffee chain's stores in Texas.
'Sacred work': Sask. First Nation learning how to conduct its own underground searches
Members of Piapot First Nation, students from the University of Winnipeg and various other professionals are learning new techniques that will hopefully be used for ground searches of potential unmarked grave sites in the future.