The Montreal-based firm is seeking $25,000 in a crowdfunding campaign to fund its statement of claim, the first step in a lawsuit over “improper information technology procurement practices,” CTO Amir Morv told The Logic. (The Logic)

Talking point: Last October, Morv and Botler CEO Ritika Dutt went public with allegations of improper buying practices and links involving Canada Border Services Agency officials and the executives of vendor GC Strategies. Their testimony and documents are now part of parliamentary and RCMP investigations into federal contracting. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said it’s “obviously unacceptable” that such procurement misconduct may have taken place.  (GC Strategies and a linked firm, Dalian, were also named in the auditor general’s probe of the ballooning ArriveCan procurement.) With criminal inquiries proceeding confidentially, Morv said Botler wants to bring more of the details of the misconduct into public view via a lawsuit. The firm’s product is an AI tool that assesses user’s legal issues against existing laws; past applications have included immigration and addressing workplace harassment.