About the webinar
Professor Zachary Spicer, supported by Transparency International Canada and the End Snow-Washing Coalition, has conducted a study of how Canada’s federal, provincial, and municipal governments use beneficial ownership information in contracting, licensing and permitting processes. The final report will be forthcoming.
In advance of the report’s launch, you are invited to attend this webinar with Professor Zachary Spicer and Sasha Caldera, Campaign Manager at Publish What You Pay Canada, to learn about the critical steps Canadian governments are taking—or not taking—to peel back the layers of corporate anonymity. This webinar will delve into the results of the upcoming report and illustrate how federal, provincial, and municipal governments are grappling with the challenge of identifying the true owners behind the entities with which they do business. With billions of dollars at stake and the shadow of corruption and illicit financial activities looming large, Professor Spicer’s findings reveal a landscape of varying commitments and practices across different levels of government.
Join us as we unpack the implications of these practices in the fight against corruption, offer a comparative analysis of beneficial ownership transparency efforts, and propose key policy recommendations for enhancing transparency across the board. Whether you're a policymaker, industry professional, or transparency advocate, this webinar will equip you with insights and strategies to advance beneficial ownership transparency in procurement, licensing, and permitting processes.
SPEAKERS
Zachary Spicer
Associate Professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration at York University in Toronto, Canada.
At York University he also serves as the Head of New College, as a fellow at McLaughlin College and as a Faculty Affiliate with both the CITY Institute and the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies.
Beyond York, he is a member of the Digital Mobilities Lab, an Associate at the University of Toronto’s Innovation Policy Lab, a member of the Laboratory on Local Elections, a member of the study team for the Electronic Elections Project and an affiliate member of the Laurier Institute for the Study of Public Opinion and Policy at Wilfrid Laurier University.
He previously served as the Director of Research and Outreach with the Institute of Public Administration of Canada and as a Senior Policy Advisor to Ontario’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. He began his career as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Brock University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Laurier Institute for the Study of Public Opinion and Policy at Wilfrid Laurier University and the Institute of Municipal Finance and Governance at the University of Toronto. He received his PhD from the Department of Political Science at The University of Western Ontario.
Sasha Caldera
Campaign Manager, Beneficial Ownership Transparency at Publish What You Pay Canada
Sasha Caldera is the Beneficial Ownership Transparency Campaign Manager at Publish What You Pay Canada. Since 2017, Sasha has been managing a coalition of three civil society organizations and leads policy discussions with public servants at Finance Canada, and Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada. Sasha has developed relationships with elected officials and regularly lobbies federal, provincial, and territorial ministries to advance Canada’s commitment to implement a world-class beneficial ownership registry. He is also registered as a federal in-house lobbyist.
Sasha brings 13 years of NGO experience, including co-founding his own non-profit organization and 10 years of policy, advocacy, and government relations experience. Sasha’s current advocacy efforts have resulted in policy and legislative commitments in British Columbia (2019), Quebec (2020), and at Canada’s federal level (2021, 2022, and 2023). He has also appeared as a witness at the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance and the Standing Committee on Industry.
Sasha's commentary on beneficial ownership transparency can be found in The Globe & Mail, the Toronto Star, Global News, CityNews Toronto, TVO's The Agenda, The National Observer, The Vancouver Sun, iPolitics, the Hill Times, and the CBC. Sasha holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Simon Fraser University and a Master of Arts degree from Royal Roads University.