Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Minister Duclos, the ArriveCAN app has been a fiasco from the start, and the more we learn about it, the worse it gets. Your government used ArriveCAN to divide and punish Canadians needlessly. It caused chaos at the borders. The cost to taxpayers spiralled from $80,000 to at least $54 million, minister. The RCMP is now investigating the shady contracts behind ArriveCAN. The Trudeau government hid this fact from the Auditor General and from all Canadians. The only reason we know about the police involvement is because of a whistle-blower to The Globe and Mail.

Why was the RCMP investigation hidden, minister? What is the total amount that this app has cost Canadians? How much, minister?

[Translation]

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, I will ask another question with no rhetoric on my part and no criticism of the ArriveCAN app. I hope, minister, you can give me an answer without telling me how much good it did or how many lives it saved.

I have a simple question, minister. We have a cost of at least $54 million. If you cannot answer me today, can you commit to telling me how many dollars and cents the ArriveCAN app cost Canadian taxpayers?