CANADA EDGES UP IN LIST OF LEAST CORRUPT NATIONS – BUT STILL NOT BACK IN TOP TEN TIER
For Canadians there is good news and bad news in today’s release of Transparency International’s 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).
The good news: Canada has moved up to 76 points and 12th place after scoring 74 points and ranking 14th last year.
The bad news: We have still not returned to the top ten least corrupt list that Canada consistently ranked in prior to 2019.
OTTAWA: Today, Bill C-42 successfully received Royal Assent, paving the way for Canada to have a publicly accessible registry that lists the ultimate beneficial owners of companies. Earlier last month, Senate members heard from the ‘End Snow-washing’ Coalition: Publish What You Pay Canada, Transparency International Canada, and Canadians For Tax Fairness who provided a strong endorsement for the legislation and urged members to ensure it gets through Canada’s Senate without delay. Yesterday, the bill successfully passed all stages of reading in Canada’s Parliament and today it received Royal Assent.
Transparency International Canada (TI Canada) continues to identify the inadequate level of enforcement for corruption offences as the greatest barrier to combatting corruption in Canada. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) signalled its agreement with this in its Phase IV report on Canada’s implementation of the Anti-Bribery Convention, calling enforcement “exceedingly low”. Almost 25 years after the adoption of the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act (CFPOA), Canada’s criminal law prohibiting foreign bribery, charges have been laid in only nine cases – a paltry number especially considering the size and dominant industry sector of Canada’s economy.
This report discusses the challenges and opportunities associated with resource development in the province and the importance of transparency and accountability in the environmental assessment (EA) process.
Toronto, August 16, 2023 - Transparency International Canada (TI Canada) is concerned with the findings in the Ontario Auditor General’s special report on changes to the Greenbelt. TI Canada is a staunch proponent of the need for transparency in government processes and that matters such as these should be conducted in a consultative manner.
CANADA EDGES UP IN LIST OF LEAST CORRUPT NATIONS – BUT STILL NOT BACK IN TOP TEN TIER
For Canadians there is good news and bad news in today’s release of Transparency International’s 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).
The good news: Canada has moved up to 76 points and 12th place after scoring 74 points and ranking 14th last year.
The bad news: We have still not returned to the top ten least corrupt list that Canada consistently ranked in prior to 2019.
TI Canada, together with our End Snow Washing Coalition partners Publish What You Pay Canada and Canadians for Tax Fairness, have together provided a submission to the Department of Finance in response to their Consultation on Strengthening Canada's Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Regime.
A new survey by the Angus Reid Institute finds that a majority of Canadians think money laundering is a problem and want action taken. The survey found:
Three-quarters of Canadians say money laundering is an issue within their own province (74%). Even more, say the [sic] on a national level (81%) it is a challenge that Canada needs to address.
In Canada, individuals can own a property and hide this fact from law enforcement, tax authorities, and private sector entities with anti-money laundering (AML) obligations. Canada’s property registers allow beneficial owners to use companies, trusts, or nominees to hold title to property and remain anonymous, which facilitates money laundering in the real estate sector, or as it has come to be known in Canada, ‘snow-washing’.
The Whistleblower Report was prepared for TI Canada to assist it in better understanding the state of whistleblower protection in Canada as compared to other jurisdictions and the extent to which different whistleblower protection mechanisms could effectively support the battle against corruption.The Report examines whistleblower protections in Canada at the provincial and federal levels as compared to those in the US, Australia, and the UK. It also looks at Canada's international commitments under the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption, the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, and the G20 as well as the international principles for whistleblower legislation provided by Transparency International.
TI-Canada has sent this letter to The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), with regard to observations concerning amendments to PWGSC’s Integrity Framework, which governs accountability and integrity in government procurement and real property transactions.TI-Canada believes in striking the right balance and arriving at a durable Canadian solution that is effective in fighting corruption, induces positive change in business practices and enjoys broad support, all of which will take time and careful consideration. As PWGSC reviews the Integrity Framework, TI-Canada, with its considerable anti-corruption and transparency expertise, believes that it can play a useful role in this process.
