44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 13, 2024 10:00AM
- Feb/13/24 2:33:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the arrive scam app is just like the Prime Minister, not worth the cost and not worth the corruption. The investigation and damning report issued by the Auditor General on ArriveCAN shocked even her. Really, after eight years of this NDP-Liberal government, no one should be shocked by the level of incompetence and wasteful spending that Canadians have seen from this Prime Minister.
A reasonable-thinking person could conclude from the report that the arrive scam app issue has reached the level of criminality.
Will the Prime Minister join Conservatives and call on the RCMP to expand an investigation into the arrive scam app, based on the revelations in the Auditor General's report?
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- Feb/13/24 2:33:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as we have said in the House time and time again, any misconduct in the procurement process is unacceptable. We accept that the president of the CBSA has initiated internal audits and has issued some initial reports.
She has also referred some of the concerning reports to the RCMP, but members opposite should know that it is not politicians who direct the RCMP; it is the RCMP that does this work. The RCMP will set the mandate for wherever the case may lead, and we will accept that work.
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- Feb/13/24 2:34:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the question was a simple one really, but after eight years of this NDP-Liberal government, who in this place or across Canada expects a proper response from a Prime Minister who is not worth the cost and not worth the corruption?
The AG's report causes a reasonable person to conclude that what happened with the arrive scam app has reached a level of criminality that must be investigated, so I am going to ask again.
Will the Prime Minister join Conservatives and call on the RCMP to expand an investigation into the arrive scam app, based on the revelations that were contained in the Auditor General's report?
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- Feb/13/24 2:35:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, obviously we accept the Auditor General's report. We thank her for this work. There are obviously some concerning allegations being initiated. This is precisely why the CBSA initiated the audit. This is precisely why it then referred the materials to the RCMP.
It does not matter how many times the Conservatives say it, but politicians do not direct police investigations. It is the RCMP that will do this work, and we trust that it will follow the evidence. Again, procurement with any misconduct will come with consequences.
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- Feb/13/24 2:35:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Auditor General of Canada confirmed what everyone was expecting, and that is the worst. The ArriveCAN app was supposed to cost $80,000 but instead cost $60 million. She cannot even be sure that it did cost $60 million. It may be worse than that. The record-keeping was so abysmal and there is so much information missing that she cannot even confirm the exact cost.
Now Canadians need to know what the problem was. Was it gross incompetence or corruption? Will the government ask the RCMP to investigate further, as the Leader of the Opposition has asked?
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- Feb/13/24 2:36:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we do know several things. First, the RCMP works independently. As the Prime Minister said a few moments ago, we have confidence in its ability to do its work.
Second, the Auditor General did describe some shocking behaviour by the public service that was both inappropriate and unwelcome, despite the urgent need to act in the context of a pandemic that was hurting millions of Canadians.
The recommendations have been heard loud and clear. Several have already been implemented, and others will be put in place in the coming weeks.
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- Feb/13/24 2:37:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it seems to me that if someone wants to be clear, then a simple yes or no answer would do.
We even learned yesterday that, of the $60 million, GC Strategies received $20 million, and that there was not even any paperwork to confirm whether anything was requested or ordered. What is more, GC Strategies got to insert clauses into its own contract. That is unbelievable.
If the government has nothing to hide, then it should say that, yes, an RCMP investigation is needed and that, yes, it recommends that the RCMP investigate further. Will the government do that, yes or no?
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- Feb/13/24 2:37:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, once again, in a free democracy, it is not up to the government or governments to dictate to the police how they should do their job. That is not how things work in a democracy like the one in which we are lucky enough to live.
However, in a democracy like Canada, public servants have responsibilities that they must live up to. The Auditor General did note serious flaws in the collection, sharing and storage of important information needed to get the job done.
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- Feb/13/24 2:38:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, medical assistance in dying is about freedom of choice.
The role of the state is not to decide for the person who is suffering; it is to guarantee the conditions under which people can make a free and informed choice. If someone does not want medical assistance in dying, they can simply not ask for it.
The National Assembly is unanimous: Quebec is ready. It has its own legislation.
Will the federal government amend the Criminal Code to allow for advance requests for people who are suffering?
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- Feb/13/24 2:38:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have tremendous respect for the crucial work that Quebec has done on advance requests.
Canada has one Criminal Code, and for good reason. Canadians deserve consistent standards and clarity about what is criminal. There is no quick way to safely allow an exception for Quebec on this issue.
The conversation does not end here, though. We are committed to working with Quebec to determine the next steps.
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- Feb/13/24 2:39:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Quebec would not have to ask for an exemption if Ottawa had implemented the majority recommendations on advance requests issued a year ago by the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying.
Quebec is ready today, and patients should not have to suffer because of the government's inaction. If it does not want to condemn people to suffer needlessly, the federal government has two choices. It must either offer this exemption to the Criminal Code immediately or introduce a bill on advance requests.
Will the minister make the humane, compassionate choice?
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- Feb/13/24 2:40:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, medical assistance in dying is a deeply personal and complex choice. There is always a balance to be struck between an individual's autonomy and dignity, and the protection of the vulnerable.
We have taken a cautious approach from the beginning. We owe it to Canadians and Quebeckers to treat these issues thoughtfully and to proceed with caution.
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- Feb/13/24 2:40:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us recap the situation with the Canada emergency business account.
According to current numbers from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, nearly 150,000 businesses were unable to pay back their loan and nearly 200,000 others had to go into debt to do so. In addition to all that, roughly 50,000 business owners are still looking for refinancing.
The federal government has the means to properly assess the situation and ensure the fewest bankruptcies possible. Specifically, it should look at the SME files on a case-by-case basis and show some flexibility. That is what we have been calling for from day one.
Why is it still refusing to do so?
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- Feb/13/24 2:41:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, nearly 80% of small businesses paid back their Canada emergency business account loan and were able to take advantage of the refundable portion of the loan.
This being Black History Month, I would like to mention the Black entrepreneurship program. It is an historic investment of $266 million that, so far, has helped support more than 9,000 Black business owners across Canada. Nearly $50 million in loans have been approved.
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- Feb/13/24 2:41:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the $60-million arrive scam app is just like the Prime Minister after eight years: not worth the cost, not worth the corruption.
What did Canadians receive for their hard-earned tax dollars? They received an app that was 750 times over budget, required 177 updates, forced 10,000 people into quarantine by error and caused chaos at our borders, ruining any chance of a tourism recovery.
Will the Prime Minister join us and call on the RCMP to expand its investigation based on yesterday's shocking report from the Auditor General?
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- Feb/13/24 2:42:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, any misconduct during a procurement process is completely unacceptable. This is precisely why, when the CBSA learned of the irregularities, it immediately initiated an internal audit. Based on some of that work, it referred some of these elements to the RCMP.
It is unfortunate when situations such as this occur, but the fact is that the CBSA has been following the process to ensure that something like this can never happen again and that any wrongdoing comes with consequences.
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- Feb/13/24 2:43:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the fact is that the headline of the Auditor General's report on the disastrous Liberal arrive scam app says it best: “Glaring disregard for basic management and contracting practices”.
This report is a metaphor for eight years of Liberal mismanagement, incompetence and disregard for hard-working Canadians. The app is just like the Prime Minister after eight years: not worth the cost, not worth the corruption.
Again, I will ask this: Will the Prime Minister join us and call on the RCMP to expand its investigation based on the revelations of yesterday's shocking Auditor General's report?
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- Feb/13/24 2:43:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said before, it is not politicians who direct investigations with the RCMP, but the RCMP that will determine the scope as the evidence permits.
It is important to know that any wrongdoing and misconduct in procurement will come with consequences. We have confidence that the CBSA is completing this work. It is doing initial audits, and the RCMP is looking into the matter where necessary.
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- Feb/13/24 2:44:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will try to keep this simple.
Imagine for a moment that an emergency contract is awarded to repair the roof of an official residence, the Farm, because it is leaking. The contractor who is hired says that the repair will cost $20,000. The contractor begins the work and sends an initial bill for $500,000 without any explanation.
Would anyone pay the bill without asking any questions, even though the roof is still leaking?
That is what happened with the Prime Minister's ArriveCAN app. The Auditor General and the ombudsman both saw it, but no one in the government saw it? That is hard to believe.
Will the government agree to our request for an investigation and let the RCMP do its job?
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- Feb/13/24 2:45:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as we already said several times yesterday and again today, we thank the Auditor General for her report.
We are taking note of the shocking findings she clearly outlined in her report. We recognize that all of this was done under emergency conditions, but that is no excuse for failing to follow the procedures for collecting necessary information.
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