Senator Plett: Let me just ask this, minister: Will you commit to getting the answer from the CBSA for us? It is easier for you to get than for me to get. If you can get us that answer in writing, I will accept that.

With you and your government constantly telling us how transparent you are, I would appreciate you to be transparent with us now and give us the answer to the question I asked you.

Senator Plett: Eight years of Justin Trudeau — not worth the cost. “How much?” was my question, minister. Last week, just as the Auditor General was beginning her testimony before a House of Commons committee regarding ArriveCAN, Liberal and NDP coalition MPs voted to shut it down. Minister, who gave the order to shut down the meeting? Was it you? Were you or your office involved in this direction? What is your government so desperate to hide, minister? What are you hiding?

The economic cost would have been billions of dollars, with hundreds of thousands of additional jobs lost because of inaction. It’s true — as you’re suggesting — that, had we been governed at that time by a Conservative government, things would have been very different. Hundreds of thousands more people would have died, as I just said, with billions more in economic costs, but that was not the situation. We invested in Canadians, supported them and had full confidence in their ability to be vaccinated and follow public health advice.

Senator Plett: Minister, the mandate letter wasn’t given to your immediate predecessor. It was actually given to the Public Services and Procurement Minister before her, two ministers ago. No progress was made on any of these issues in two years.

What do you think you can deliver in the next two or possibly even one year before we have a common-sense Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre?

[Translation]

Senator Plett: Again, eight years of Justin Trudeau — just not worth the cost.

Canadians are having trouble paying their mortgage and keeping a roof over their heads. Yet, your government has taken all the time and money in the world to make a decision on 24 Sussex Drive, and still hasn’t done so. It’s easy to do when you have unlimited taxpayers’ dollars at your disposal — isn’t it, minister?

What is the current total amount that you’ve spent to come up with a plan? I would suspect it’s more than $800,000 by now, minister. What is it? How much?

May I also briefly speak to the National Housing Strategy which is, perhaps, more relevant to the majority of Canadians. This is a strategy that has helped over 2 million Canadians since it was put into place in 2017. It is the first-ever national housing strategy — one for which Canadians have been waiting a long time.

Almost 120,000 new units have been built, and more than that amount have been renovated to help support community housing tenants — in the order of tens of thousands of people — who otherwise would not, in 2023, be able to receive support from the federal government.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Minister Duclos, the ArriveCAN app has been a fiasco from the start, and the more we learn about it, the worse it gets. Your government used ArriveCAN to divide and punish Canadians needlessly. It caused chaos at the borders. The cost to taxpayers spiralled from $80,000 to at least $54 million, minister. The RCMP is now investigating the shady contracts behind ArriveCAN. The Trudeau government hid this fact from the Auditor General and from all Canadians. The only reason we know about the police involvement is because of a whistle-blower to The Globe and Mail.

Why was the RCMP investigation hidden, minister? What is the total amount that this app has cost Canadians? How much, minister?

[Translation]

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Minister, in May, the Trudeau government said it would finally bring forward its plan — by this fall — on the future of 24 Sussex Drive. Today is October 18, and we have still not seen this plan.

In February, your department provided me with a written answer which shows that since 2016, your government has spent over $800,000 of taxpayers’ money trying to figure out what to do with 24 Sussex Drive. Eight long years, with over $800,000 spent, and there’s still no plan, minister.

Are you going to bring one forward this fall, as promised? If not, are you just going to keep spending taxpayers’ money without making a decision?

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Minister, two years ago, one of your predecessors was tasked in her mandate letter from the Prime Minister with the following: continue the modernization of procurement practices; renew the Coast Guard and navy fleets; ensure the ongoing delivery of defence procurement; resolve outstanding Phoenix pay system issues; rehabilitate 24 Sussex; replace the Alexandra Bridge, plus build an additional crossing on the Ottawa River; ensure a minimum of 5% of the total value of federal contracts for Indigenous businesses.

Minister, you have not received your mandate letter. Is it because it would only be a copy-and-paste of the old one since nothing has been done on the other one since the last election?

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, I will ask another question with no rhetoric on my part and no criticism of the ArriveCAN app. I hope, minister, you can give me an answer without telling me how much good it did or how many lives it saved.

I have a simple question, minister. We have a cost of at least $54 million. If you cannot answer me today, can you commit to telling me how many dollars and cents the ArriveCAN app cost Canadian taxpayers?