Recently, Members of Parliament (MPs) expressed their dissatisfaction with Kristian Firth, a partner at GC Strategies, the primary contractor for the ArriveCan app. Following Firth’s refusal to answer specific questions during an inquiry, MPs unanimously passed a motion declaring him in contempt of Parliament. This decision will lead to Firth being formally reprimanded by the Speaker and required to appear before the House of Commons on April 17.

A recent report by Canada’s Auditor General revealed that the total cost of the ArriveCan app is estimated to be $60 million, with the final amount still unclear due to a lack of documentation. GC Strategies, based in West Ottawa with only a few employees, has reportedly been awarded contracts totaling nearly $258 million since 2015, including 46 contracts awarded without competitive bidding.

During his testimony last month, Firth was uncooperative and refused to answer questions under oath for four hours. Conservative MP Garnett Genuis questioned Firth’s credibility by highlighting contradictions in his statements and accusing him of dismissing evidence presented by various sources.

Another Conservative MP, Michael Barrett, criticized Firth for what he perceived as contempt towards Parliament and accused him of dishonesty. Barrett pointed out that Firth had previously denied meeting with government officials privately, only to later admit to it during questioning.

The upcoming public reprimand in the House of Commons is a rare occurrence and signifies a significant breach of parliamentary protocol. Since the early 1900s, such rebukes have been issued only five times, with Firth becoming only the third private citizen since 1913 to face this consequence.

This development underscores the importance of transparency and accountability in government contracts and highlights the need for thorough oversight to ensure taxpayer funds are being used responsibly. Stay tuned for more updates on this ongoing investigation.