Appear To Testify On ArriveCan Before House Committee Or Face Arrest, GC Strategies’ Owners Summoned

The House government operations committee has decided to call upon the leaders of the IT staffing company involved in the ArriveCan controversy. The Conservatives passed a motion compelling the appearance of GC Strategies’ owners before the committee within 21 days or potentially facing arrest by the Sergeant-at-Arms, the top security official in the House of Commons.

GC Strategies, the primary contractor for the ArriveCan app project, is under increased scrutiny following the auditor general’s report, which identified excessive reliance on contractors as a key factor contributing to the project’s escalating costs.

Committee members, on Wednesday, agreed to summon the two partners of the firm, Kristian Firth and Darren Anthony, to provide testimony on their involvement with ArriveCan.

The government operations committee has been scrutinizing ArriveCan for several months, with Firth having already appeared before the committee twice. Despite being asked to return in November and earlier this month, Firth and Anthony declined, citing mental health concerns.

To address health worries, MPs agreed to summon Firth and Anthony, aiming to accommodate any potential health issues.

The decision to summon GC Strategies follows a critical report from Canada’s auditor general, highlighting a “glaring disregard” for fundamental contracting practices. The report revealed a lack of documentation explaining why or how GC Strategies was selected for the project.

Furthermore, the report indicated that some CBSA officials had close relationships with specific contractors, participating in “dinners and other activities.” The auditor general did not disclose the names of the contractors or officials involved.

Parvasi Weekly Inc.