Welcome to the CanadaPress.ca Hall of Shame — a growing catalogue of the most egregious abuses of public funds by the Canadian government from 2015 to present. Each entry links to our coverage. This page will be updated as new information and new scandals come to light.
1. ArriveCan App: $60 Million for a Glorified Form
The ArriveCan app was supposed to streamline border entry during COVID. Instead, it cost Canadian taxpayers over $60 million — for an app that could have been a simple web form. The project was plagued by no-bid contracts, questionable connections to the Liberal party, and a final product that prompted widespread mocking even from the company that built it. Auditor General Karen Hogan called the spending “unprecedented” and said proper records simply did not exist. Multiple firms involved have since refused to answer parliamentary questions.
Total waste: $60M+
2. WE Charity Scandal: $900 Million That Vanished Into Thin Air
The Trudeau government awarded WE Charity a sole-source contract worth up to $900 million to administer the Canada Student Service Grant. The only problem? WE Charity had no experience running a federal program, was embroiled in controversies about its own finances, and had deep personal ties to the Trudeau family. When the scheme collapsed amid public outcry, not a single student had received the grant. The program was cancelled, but the damage was done — both to public trust and to the reputation of every politician involved.
Total waste: $900M (planned) — public trust: priceless (gone)
3. Phoenix Pay System: $2.6 Billion and Still Broken
Launched in 2016, the Phoenix Pay System was supposed to replace a 40-year-old pay system for 300,000 federal employees. It immediately became one of the worst government IT failures in Canadian history. Tens of thousands of workers were underpaid, overpaid, or not paid at all for months. Some went into debt. Others lost their homes. By 2020, the government had spent over $2.6 billion trying to fix it — and still could not make it work. Public servants are still being paid manually a decade later. The company that built it? No consequences.
Total waste: $2.6B+ and counting
4. CEBA & COVID Benefit Fraud: $Billions in Unrecoverable Loans
The Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) and other pandemic benefit programs were rolled out with admirable speed — and almost no oversight. The result? Organized crime groups collected millions in fraudulent CEBA loans. Ineligible recipients received CERB payments while working full-time. The government admits it cannot recover billions of dollars. Meanwhile, legitimate small business owners who played by the rules are being hounded by the CRA for minor discrepancies. The Canada Revenue Agency launched an investigation into itself and, shockingly, found nothing wrong.
Total waste: An estimated $6B+ unrecoverable
5. SNC-Lavalin Affair: Justice for Sale
In 2019, it emerged that the Prime Minister’s Office had pressured then-Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould to intervene in the criminal prosecution of engineering giant SNC-Lavalin. The company faced corruption charges over bribes paid to Libyan officials. The government wanted a deferred prosecution agreement — a deal that would have let SNC-Lavalin avoid criminal conviction entirely. Wilson-Raybould refused, was shuffled out of her job, and the resulting scandal cost the Liberals two cabinet ministers. The message to Canadian corporations? If you are big enough, the government will try to get you off the hook.
Total waste: Rule of law undermined — incalculable
6. Sustainable Development Technology Canada: $159 Million Lost in a Black Hole
A 2024 Auditor General report revealed that Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) gave out $159 million in grants with virtually no oversight. Money went to ineligible recipients, conflicts of interest were rampant, and the CEO was awarding grants to companies she had personal ties to. The entire organization was eventually dismantled. But the money? Long gone.
Total waste: $159M
7. FIFA World Cup 2026: $4.5 Billion and Counting for a Month of Soccer
Canada is co-hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The original price tag was supposed to be manageable. Then came the cost overruns. Toronto alone expects to spend over $300 million, while the overall Canadian tab is projected at $4.5 billion or more. Critics ask whether a country with a housing crisis, opioid epidemic, and crumbling healthcare infrastructure should be spending billions on a sporting event. The answer from Ottawa appears to be yes — loudly and with corporate hospitality suites.
Total waste: $4.5B+ (debatable — but the opportunity cost is enormous)
8. The $54 Million Pandemic Preparedness That Prepared Nothing
Between 2020 and 2025, the Trudeau government spent over $54 million on pandemic preparedness programs. The goal was to ensure Canada would be ready for the next health crisis. When asked what the money purchased, the government cited consulting fees, stakeholder engagement sessions, and endless reports. The result? Zero additional pandemics prevented. It remains unclear whether $54 million was spent badly, or whether Canada simply got lucky and no pandemic occurred. Either way, the money went somewhere.
Total waste: $54M
This page is a living document. As new scandals emerge and as our investigation continues, we will add entries. If you have a tip about government waste, contact us.