‘Scary’ secret report prompts MPs to suspend ArriveCAN hearings

The House of Commons operations committee has suspended future ArriveCAN hearings after some members raised a “scary” secret report about the controversial app.

The sudden suspension of hearings on Wednesday was based on a report produced by Michel Lafleur, executive director of professional integrity at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The report, which is not public, was made available to MPs on the committee.

Liberal MP and committee vice-chair Majid Jowhari said he was “flabbergasted” by its preliminary statement of facts.

“We’re doing a disservice to justice, and I’m being very serious about this. I’m not a lawyer, but what I read, it’s scary,” he said.

Jowhari argued that any further hearings into ArriveCAN could jeopardize ongoing investigations into ArriveCAN by the CBSA and the RCMP.

“If I start getting into the level of detail of content that’s available here … and we even limit our questions to process in general, we could lead a conversation in such a way that would force Mr. Lafleur to make statements (leading to a) a certain conclusion that (would be) very risky,” he said.

NDP MP Taylor Bachrach agreed with Jowhari.

“Everyone wants to get to the bottom of what happened. I’ve read through the preliminary statement of facts, and I don’t think that it would be compromising the investigation to say that what I read, I found deeply troubling,” he said.

“Most Canadians, if they read the statement of facts, would be deeply troubled by what seems to have gone on.”

A Liberal motion introduced earlier to dismiss Lafleur carried 7-3 with support from NDP and Bloc Quebecois MPs. The Conservative MPs voted against it, and it was made clear the committee would be moving on from ArriveCAN for now.

Tory MP Stephanie Kusie