OTTAWA — The Government of Canada is taking action following an eye-opening investigation of the ArriveCAN app by Canada’s auditor general.

The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) launched its audit process in 2023 after the Office of the Procurement Ombud (OPO) “determined there were reasonable grounds to launch a review of procurement activities associated with the creation, implementation and maintenance of ArriveCAN.”

The ArriveCAN app was first launched by the federal government in April 2020 as a way to track health and contact information for people entering Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to digitize customs and immigration declarations.

Auditor General Karen Hogan found the app cost approximately $59.5 million, but its management was so poor that it’s impossible to know the final amount. She also found little evidence that the app was properly tested, which may have contributed to more than 10,000 people being ordered to quarantine for 14 days in 2022, even though they had provided proof of vaccination.

Following the release of the report, the Government of Canada issued a statement on Feb. 12. The statement in its entirety is as follows: 

“We thank the Auditor General of Canada, Karen Hogan, and her team for their work and welcome the recommendations laid out in today’s report. Together with the recent review done by the Procurement Ombud, this report has identified unacceptable gaps in management processes, roles and controls that the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) take seriously.

“Some recommendations in the report have already been implemented and the CBSA will take further action to ensure management practices are aligned with policies and processes to maintain the confidence of Canadians.”

“Some of the actions taken and planned by the CBSA as part of its procurement improvement plan include:

• Creating an Executive Procurement Review Committee to approve contracts and task authorizations, which is already providing additional oversight on all contracting activities, focusing on delivering value for money;
• Requiring employees to disclose all interactions with potential vendors; and
• Increasing CBSA’s procurement group’s capacity to oversee all procurement activities and establish a centre of expertise to help employees fully understand their obligations and authorities.

“In addition, PSPC will continue to strengthen all aspects of the federal procurement regime and will use the findings from this report to improve the way the Government of Canada does business with its suppliers. PSPC has already taken a number of steps, including implementing new measures to ensure that tasks and deliverables are clearly defined in professional services contracts, and updating the policy and guidance documentation used by procurement officials to ensure consistency.

“PHAC is taking action to strengthen its preparedness for future public health emergencies, including through adapting tools to increase efficiency, strengthening emergency management and planning capacity, and putting in place contingency arrangements with key partners and stakeholders. PHAC will also update its guidance for interactions with potential contractors and ensure that the reinforced documentation process is compliant with the Treasury Board Directive.

“The app was built during an extraordinary time and on an emergency basis. ArriveCAN data was an integral part of Canada’s monitoring program for the early detection and identification of new COVID-19 variants of concern, and critical to the federal government’s ability to monitor, assess, and respond to COVID-19 as it evolved. The CBSA was working as quickly as possible to replace a paper process that was not meeting public health needs and was also impacting the border with significant wait times that disrupted the essential flow of people and goods. The Auditor General recognized in her report that the Government improved the speed and quality of information collected at the border by using the app rather than the paper-based form.

“Travellers saved significant time by using the app – about five minutes each time they crossed the border, saving hours of wait times. It was an effective and necessary tool to collect mandatory health information while facilitating travel and trade. Beyond the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the app remains available today for travellers who want to make their customs declarations in advance and save time at the border.

“Despite these circumstances, we recognize that the gaps found by the Auditor General are unacceptable and we are taking steps to ensure all government departments are better positioned to undertake projects of this nature in the future.”

The Procurement Practice Review of ArriveCAN can be read here.