In the ArriveCAN scandal, the lead suspect has been accused of engaging in questionable activities that led to the destruction of Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) emails, even though he denies these accusations. An internal complaint filed by a CBSA employee and obtained by The Globe and Mail alleges that Canada’s Chief Technology Officer, Minh Doan, manipulated data files during his tenure at the CBSA, causing them to become lost. These emails would have been relevant to an Access to Information Request regarding the agency’s interactions with GC Strategies, a company involved in the ArriveCAN app’s development.
Responding to the allegations, Mr. Doan refuted the claims in an email to The Globe and Mail, asserting that he did not destroy any emails and suggesting that government employees were attempting to shift blame to him in spite of evidence demonstrating his lack of involvement with the vendors. The House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates has been investigating the development of ArriveCAN, an app used to track the COVID-19 vaccination status of travelers entering Canada. This investigation has been ongoing for several months, with a focus on who decided to hire GC Strategies to build the app.
Mr. Doan was the vice-president and chief information officer of the CBSA during the launch of ArriveCAN in 2020. He positioned himself before the Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO) in November 2023, asserting that he did not choose GC Strategies, but was responsible for the strategic direction of the app’s development, which involved outsourcing. However, the agency’s former director, Cameron MacDonald, contradicted Mr. Doan’s claims, testifying before the committee that Mr. Doan was responsible for choosing GC Strategies and even threatened to blame Mr. MacDonald for the decision during a phone call. Carrying it further, Mr. MacDonald, along with another former CBSA employee involved with ArriveCAN, have since been suspended from their government jobs without pay. This move has prompted accusations of retaliation from some Conservatives on OGGO following their critiques of the agency.
Auditor-General Karen Hogan has pledged to present a report on ArriveCan on Feb. 12, and Procurement Ombudsman Alexander Jeglic will also publish a report on ArriveCan the following week.