Two suspended civil servants, Cameron MacDonald and Antonio Utano, have accused the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) of unfairly blaming and silencing them over the ArriveCan scandal. MacDonald, a former assistant deputy minister at Health Canada, and Utano, a former director general at the Canada Revenue Agency, were both involved in the development of the ArriveCan app during the pandemic.
Following the launch of the app, both men were suspended without pay after the CBSA shared a preliminary report from an internal investigation regarding their conduct. MacDonald and Utano testified before a parliamentary committee, asserting that they are being punished for speaking out against senior officials at CBSA whom they claim misled the committee.
MacDonald criticized the internal investigation report, labeling it as a collection of baseless accusations unsupported by evidence. He described it as a “preliminary statement of falsehoods.” Utano echoed MacDonald’s sentiments, stating that they are being punished for telling the truth to the committee.
During their testimony, Utano presented a knapsack with ArriveCan’s logo, which he said was a small gift from a vendor and disclosed through appropriate channels. He questioned whether such gestures amounted to bribery. Both men admitted to participating in events like virtual whiskey tastings and dinners but maintained that they disclosed all their contacts to their superiors.
Despite their willingness to participate, MacDonald and Utano claimed they did not have the opportunity to weigh in on the internal investigation conducted by CBSA. MacDonald clarified that while they were invited to participate, they seek more information before agreeing to an interview.
