Author: Catherine Morrison

Ottawa says it has banned the largest contractor that worked on the ArriveCan app from entering into contracts or real property agreements with the government for seven years.Public Services and Procurement Canada has announced that GC Strategies Inc. has been deemed “ineligible” after an assessment of the supplier’s conduct.Last year, the department suspended the security status of GC Strategies, which the auditor general says was awarded more than $19 million for the project.That move followed an earlier decision to suspend the company from procurement processes within the department. The government also barred two other companies that contributed to the ArriveCan project, Dalian Enterprises and Coradix Technology Consulting, from participating in procurement opportunities.The federal government launched the app in April 2020 as a way to track health and contact information for people entering Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to digitize customs and immigration declarations.A report by Canada’s Auditor General Karen Hogan found the government’s record-keeping was poor and its reliance on outside contractors allowed the cost of the project to balloon to $60 million.The first ArriveCan contract was initially valued at just $2.35 million.Auditor General of Canada Karen Hogan speaks during a news conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa, on March 19, 2024.