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’.  

In light of British Columbia’s vulnerability to criminal financial activities in the real estate sector, Transparency International Canada and Canadians For Tax Fairness (C4TF) shared with the B.C government comments on current anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism financing (AML/ATF) efforts and suggestions on how to improve them.

Toronto

Le Canada a perdu un point et a reculé d’une place sur l’Indice deperception de la corruption (IPC) de Transparency International (TI) en2018, partageant le 9erang avec un score de 81 sur 100.

Canada slipped one point and one position in the 2018 Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI), tying for 9thranking with a score of 81 out of 100.

Transparency International Canada (TI Canada) welcomes the conviction and sentencing of former McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) senior manager, Yanaï Elbaz, by a Quebec court in what has been described as “as the largest corruption fraud case in Canadian history.”

For the first time, Transparency International Canada releases a report on domestic corruption perceptions

Every three years, Transparency International publishes the renowned Global Corruption Barometer. Now, TI Canada has produced a domestic study focusing exclusively on Western Canada. The Western Canada Corruption Barometer comprises two reports: one looking at the public’s perceptions and experiences with corruption, and another focusing on the extractive sector industry.

Transparency International Canada’s Chair and President, and its Executive Director join 42 other signatories in an open letter to Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau encouraging the federal government to advocate for a publicly accessible pan-Canadian company registry of beneficial owners in upcoming conversations with provinces and territories, and to outline a consultation timetable to explore all registry options (including a publicly accessible registry) in Budget 2019.

Toronto, November 14th 2018  —Canadians for Tax Fairness, Publish What You Pay Canada, and Transparency International Canada, welcome the House of Commons Finance Committee’s report and recommendations of its recent review of Canada’s Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTFA).

Toronto, ON (November 2, 2018) – On Thursday, November 1st, 2018, Radio-Canada aired on its investigative program “Enquête” a report on how superficial the security checks have been on owners of companies that produce and distribute cannabis.

Transparency International Canada and Canadians for Tax Fairness have made a joint submission in response the Government of British Columbia’s open call for consultations on a proposed Land Owner Transparency Act.

Canada has fallen from ‘Moderate’ to ‘Limited’ enforcement of the Corruption of Foreign and Public Officials Act, placing it at the back of the pack of OECD countries on foreign bribery enforcement as highlighted in a new Transparency International’s Exporting Corruption Report 2018: Assessing Enforcement of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention (linked here).

Toronto, ON (June 13, 2018) – On Tuesday, June 5th, 2018, the Senate of Canada approved several amendments to the Cannabis Bill (Bill C-45) that have now been referred to the House of Commons for consideration. One of these amendments would require that names of individuals who directly or indirectly own or control the corporations or trusts holding a licence or permit for cannabis production be made public.