Opening Statement before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts

ArriveCAN

(Report 1—2024 Reports of the Auditor General of Canada)

6 March 2024

Karen Hogan, Fellow Chartered Professional AccountantFCPA
Auditor General of Canada

Mr. Chair, thank you for again inviting us to discuss our report on ArriveCAN. I would like to acknowledge that this hearing is taking place on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe people. Joining me today is Andrew Hayes, Deputy Auditor General, and Sami Hannoush, the principal who was responsible for the audit.

This audit examined whether the Canada Border Services Agency, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and Public Services and Procurement Canada managed all aspects of the ArriveCAN application in a way that delivered value for money.

I would like to note that the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat was not examined as part of our audit. The Secretariat is responsible for ensuring that tax dollars are spent wisely and effectively for Canadians.  The Treasury Board of Canada has issued policies and directives on program management and contracting to departments and agencies. When it comes to contracting and procurement, Public Services and Procurement Canada has also developed the Supply Manual.

As noted in our report, while the secretariat introduced some flexibilities into the procurement and contract processes during the pandemic to achieve results quickly, the Secretary of the Treasury Board emphasized that government organizations still needed to demonstrate due diligence, controls around expenditures, and to document their decisions to support accountability.

We stated during our previous appearances before this committee, that in the case of ArriveCAN, we did not find records to accurately show how much was spent on what, who did the work, or how and why contracting decisions were made. And that paper trail should have existed.

Mr. Chair, this concludes my opening statement. We would be pleased to answer any questions the committee may have. Thank you.