联邦政府必须向ArriveCan 合同商追讨数千万元不义之财（观点）

ArriveCan丑闻凸显了联邦政府机构“完全无视财务管理基本规则”的行为，竟然让一个仅有两人的,缺乏IT专业基本技能的招人公司GCStrategies获得了$1910万元, 另一家两人公司Dalian $790万元的项目资金， 由于大量资金不当外流使ArriveCan项目费用从最初的$8万元预算激增到惊人的$5900万元之高！更令震惊的事实是， 由于加国政府的项目承包管理失控，这家招人公司GCStrategies能够通过操纵项目规范条款和编造招聘人员的简历从而轻易获得了$2500万元的政府合同。随着丑闻细节的进一步公开，公众对于滥用纳税人资金的不满和愤怒加剧，追究肇事者责任和追缴承包商所获资金的要求迫在眉睫。

The ArriveCan scandal has starkly highlighted the government agency’s ”glaring disregard of basic management practices”. The acquisition of $19.1 million by a two-person staffing firm GCStrategies and another $7.9 million by Dalian, both of which lacked substantial IT expertise, was a key factor in the project's expenses ballooning to a staggering $59 million, far exceeding the initial modest estimate of $80,000. More shockingly, a flawed procurement process enabled GCStrategies to secure a $25 million contract by manipulating project requirements and fabricating qualifications of its proposed staff. As the saga unfolds, public outrage intensifies over the severe misallocation of taxpayer funds， underscoring the imperative to hold the perpetrators accountable and to rigorously pursue the recovery of funds from the contractors.

渥太华的承包合同中暴露的问题不仅仅局限于ArriveCan一个案例，而是呈现于一种更为广泛的，涉及多家私营公司的承包趋势， 其商业模式均为由小型公司以非正当手段获得政府合同。另一家只有两个人的原住民公司Dalian Enterprises与大型非原住民公司Coradix为了钻联邦政府的优惠原住民企业的承包政策的空子而组成合资企业， 即非原住民企业以原住民企业为幌子而形成合作关系以期获得政府合同。这两家公司组成的这一“幽灵合资企业”在过去的十年中已获得超过4亿加元的联邦合同工作。加拿大原住民商务委员会的报告称：“幽灵合资企业彻底违背了原住民合同外包政策的宗旨”。

Ottawa's procurement oversight issues are not isolated to the ArriveCan case but indicate a broader pattern where smaller private firms secure government contracts through questionable methods. Under the flawed procurement program to promote indigenous business, Dalian Enterprises, another two person indigenous company has formed a joint venture with Coradix，a large and non-indigenous company. The allegedly “phantom joint venture”， where an Indigenous partner is used as a front by a non-Indigenous business to obtain a contract set-aside, have received more than $400-million in federal contract work over the past decade. “It corrodes the integrity of an Indigenous procurement policy,” the report by the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business stated.

政府官员为社会为什么不去努力追缴不当流向这些私营实体的数千万加元的纳税人资金？！如果你了解加国政府是如何不竭余力地从低收入人士手中追缴不当发放的疫情救济金的，你就会发现政府官员们没有任何理由不对合同承包商采取同等追缴行动。

There is no justification for government officials to shy away from zealously reclaiming the tens of millions of dollars that were inappropriately funneled to these private entities. This action becomes all the more critical against the backdrop of the government's rigorous campaign to collect pandemic relief funds, primarily from low-income individuals.

2020年下半年，加拿大税务局（CRA）向误领了$2万至$3万加元疫情救济金的加国人士发送了441,000封信件，而迄今为止，有170万的CERB领取者在近两年后被告知需要退款。税务局的不择手段的追缴行动导致了一桩桩让人惨不忍睹的悲催事件结局。一位依靠残疾福利、年收入不足7000加元者被要求偿还7000多加元的救济金，他与CRA的法律纠纷过程中健康恶化，而法律纠纷的结局却是最终CRA $7200加元的账单！ 另一宗案列为CRA向一位依靠收废铜烂铁为生的前瘾君子追收误领的救济款$25000加元！一位根据省府规定而申请了疫情救济的安省女子却背上一笔了欠CRA $14000加元的高额债务！

In late 2020, the CRA sent 441,000 letters to Canadians who may have incorrectly received $20,000 to $30,000 in pandemic relief, while 1.7 million CERB recipients were informed they might need to return payments nearly two years post-receipt. These developments have led to distressing outcomes. An individual, relying on disability benefits with an annual income below $7,000, was initially faced with a demand to repay over $7,000. His health deteriorated as he waged a legal dispute with the CRA, which resulted in a final bill of $7,200. Another case involved the CRA seeking over $25,000 from a former addict relying on a scrap metal business, while an Ontario woman on disability assistance accrued a $14,000 debt from the tax agency, despite being mandated by provincial guidelines to apply for pandemic relief.

尽管明了其追缴行动会给弱势群体造成的巨大财务困境，加拿大税务局（CRA）仍不手软，无情地向这些低收入人士追讨误领资金。如果渥太华政府对其行动籍以“对公共资金管理负责”的道德说辞，那么置其从私人公司追回数千万不义之财的公共资金之责任于不顾，无论从法律还是道德角度上都无法自圆其说。

Aware of the severe hardships its strict measures could impose on vulnerable communities, the CRA still adopted a rigorous campaign to reclaim funds without leniency. If Ottawa aspires to uphold the moral principle of responsible public fund management, it becomes both a legal and ethical contradiction to overlook the recovery of tens of millions in misallocated public funds from private corporations.

尽管明显存在资金管理不善的行为，加拿大政府官员却未能体现出深刻的自我反省或积极协作的态度彻底追回从私营企业不当获得的资金。这种不作为不仅背离了精心治国的核心原则，也暴露了其在公平管理财务之责方面的严重偏差。更有甚者，这种行为对那些经济上已处于极端困境、却还被渥太华要求偿还债务的边缘化群体则构成了极大的不公与背叛。

Despite the significant mismanagement practices, government officials have not shown self-reflection and a concerted effort to recover these funds comprehensively. This lack of action not only breaches the core principles of public governance but also highlights a stark inconsistency in fiscal responsibility and fairness. The glaring inequity in how different recipients of government funds are treated betrays the trust of marginalized groups who, even as they struggle financially, face stringent demands from Ottawa for repayments.

保守党领袖皮埃尔·波利耶夫提出了要求联邦政府向那些从未参与ArriveCan软件开发的承包商追回款项的动议。这一动议要求非常关键及时，旨在敦促联邦政府纠正过错，并确保财务问责的公平性。在严肃的遵循道德和法律标准面前，加拿大政府官员不应以追回资金过程繁琐，要花太大力气为由而不作为，也不应让其成为联邦政府履行维持司法公正和确保公共资金管理公平，完整性之职责的障碍。

In his motion, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre calls for the government to retrieve payments from ArriveCan contractors who did not contribute to the app's development. This demand emphasizes the critical need for equitable financial accountability, urging immediate action for fair redress. The imperative to adhere to moral and legal standards means that the complexity or scale of effort required to recover these funds should not be an excuse of inaction or a deterrent for Ottawa to commit to justice and maintain the integrity of public administration.