The owners of GC Strategies have been summoned to testify before federal government’s operations committee or face arrest.

Kristian Firth and Darren Anthony have, to now, failed to respond to summons to appear before the House of Commons, but the Conservative motion, passed in Parliament last week following a filibustre, will compel them to appear, or arrest warrants will be issued.

Federal Auditor General Karen Hogan this month released a scathing report into the implementation and management of the ArriveCan app, revealing that the information they were able to piece together showed Ottawa paying out close to $60 million dollars, but she admitted, the full amount may never be known because of the shocking lack of information available.

Opposition critic for Ethics and Accountable Government, Michael Barrett says the two people behind GC Strategies will be compelled to testify about their involvement “and if they refuse,” says Barrett, “a warrant will be issued for their arrest, and they’ll be brought to Parliament to answer our questions by the Sergeant at Arms. A very rare step” Barrett admits, “but very important in this case.”

Barrett says the precedent is so rare, there was a similar summon made in the mid-2000s, and 100 years before that.

“But it is absolutely a power of parliamentarians, of Parliament, to send for people and papers, and when they refuse, then a warrant is issued.”