CBSA’S delay delivering Arrivecan data draws questions

MP concerned ‘coverup’ could be the cause

• The president of Canada’s border protection agency found herself in the hot seat on Monday, questioned over delays in providing information requested as part of the committee’s investigation of the contentious Arrivecan app.

Testifying before the Commons government operations and estimates committee, Canada Border Services Agency president Erin O’gorman was given the third degree by MP Michael Barrett, asking why the agency had yet to provide information on contractors, expenditures and cost breakdowns related to the app’s development — as ordered by the committee nearly a month ago.

“We did provide a list of invoices — we are looking at about 500 invoices, so we’re in the process of having those translated,” she said, adding that the CBSA has no information on subcontractors that may have done work on the app, just primary contractors that dealt directly with the agency.

O’gorman also blamed a “coding error” for the CBSA’S prior response in an order paper question that erroneously named tech firm Thinkon Inc. as one of the top companies involved in developing Arrivecan.

She told the committee the company named should have been Microsoft.

Last month, the committee heard Arrivecan initially cost the federal government $80,000 when it was first developed two years ago, but after nearly 70 updates, fixes and refinements ballooned to an expected cost at nearly $54 million by next March.

Opposition parties earlier told the National Post they plan to back a Conservative party call requesting a probe by the auditor general.

“There’s definitely questions on if this delay is the result of simply not knowing, more accounting errors, has there been direction given in hopes that a scandal for government goes away, or at worse, there’s a coverup happening because there’s uncomfortable information for ministers or government included in there,” Barrett said.

“Which of those scenarios best describe what we’re dealing with in a 28-day delay in getting invoices?”

O’gorman said a revised response will be tabled on Monday or later this week.

“The list of people getting paid should be quite easy to produce, and the committee did not suggest the documents should come Oct. 31, there was a requirement for them to be here,” Barrett said. “At this point, it appears that there’s an unwillingness to provide the information.”