Border ContractsPublic register

Canada · passenger screening · travel authorisation

ArriveCAN application

In operation Status as of 19 October 2026 · Funding type: State budget

ArriveCAN was the pandemic-era app used by travellers entering Canada, developed for the Canada Border Services Agency 1,2. The Auditor General reported in February 2024 that the agency lacked complete financial records and estimated the cost at about CAD 59.5 million 1. The audit found the first contract was awarded without competition and with little documentation, and that GC Strategies was involved in writing narrow requirements for a later CAD 25 million competitive contract 1. It found no evidence that staff disclosed contractor invitations to private events 1. CBC reported the app had been made optional 2.

Key terms

Buyer
Canada Border Services Agency, with the Public Health Agency of Canada
Vendor
Several contractors, including GC Strategies
Vendor based in
Not confirmed
Signed
Not published
Duration
Not published
Value
About CAD 59.5 million, Auditor General estimate (February 2024). Exact cost could not be calculated
Funding
state budget
Procurement route
direct award
System ownership
Not published
Data terms
Not published

Audits, courts, parliament and regulators

  1. 12 February 2024: The Auditor General of Canada reported ArriveCAN cost about CAD 59.5 million, that the initial contract was non-competitive with little documentation, that GC Strategies helped set requirements for a later CAD 25 million competitive contract, and that contract management was very poor 1
  2. 12 February 2024: Auditor General Karen Hogan told the House public accounts committee she found a glaring disregard for basic policies and rules, as reported by CBC News 2

Sources

  1. Office of the Auditor General of Canada: 2024 Report 1, opening statement to the news conference on ArriveCAN (12 February 2024)
  2. CBC News: Total cost of ArriveCan impossible to determine due to poor record-keeping, AG report finds (12 February 2024)

Fields marked "Not published" or "Not confirmed" could not be established from an official or reliable source. If you hold a document that fills a gap or corrects an entry, write to editor@bordercontracts.org. Last checked 19 October 2026.

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