Achi news desk-
GC Strategies partner Kristian Firth testified in the House of Commons on Wednesday that the RCMP raided one of his properties, but said it was unrelated to the ArriveCan app.
The two-person Firth IT firm in Ottawa is the prime contractor behind the controversial pandemic-era plan.
He told the House of Commons during a rare inquiry by MPs that the Mounties visited him.
“There was a search warrant, not an arrest warrant, for my property to obtain electronic products surrounding Butler’s allegations,” Firth said in response to a question from Conservative MP Michael Barrett.
“The RCMP only contacted us about Butler.”
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Botler AI — a Montreal-based technology company — has raised concerns about alleged misconduct in government contracting practices.
The RCMP previously said it was “investigating a matter referred from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) based on allegations brought to their attention by Botler AI.”
The National Police Service released a statement moments before Firth’s comments saying Mounties searched a property in Ottawa on Tuesday, adding that “this search warrant was unrelated to the ArriveCan investigation.”
“We will not provide the name or business to protect the privacy of the people at the residence.
Since the investigation is ongoing and no charges have been filed at this time, no further information will be released.”
News of the RCMP raid came during Firth’s testimony in Parliament. He was the first private citizen in a century to be called before the chamber of the House of Representatives – a brass bar in the chamber that represents a symbolic barrier between MPs and non-MPs – for reprimand.
Firth was ordered to appear, after being held in contempt of parliament for refusing to answer questions for a parliamentary committee investigating ArriveCan.
The last time a private citizen received this reprimand was 1913. Since then, only a handful of private citizens have received the reprimand, but no one has had to answer questions at home.
ArriveCan cost at least $59 million, but the auditor general found it impossible to determine the final amount because the registration was so poor.
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