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68-451: The commission is mandated with examining whether systemic regulatory failures allowed money laundering to take root in BC casinos and real estate. The commission collected testimony of 200 witnesses, including former Premier Christy Clark and former gaming minister Rich Coleman , in an investigation that took place over more than 130 days. As of 2021, closing arguments are underway. The final report

136-585: A batch report , which enables the submission of several reports at once using a public key certificate . The following activities are to be filed in reports to FINTRAC: FINTRAC can also receive the following information: FINTRAC reports to the Parliament of Canada through the Minister of Finance . Section 72(2) of the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act also mandates audits of FINTRAC by

204-475: A 13-year-old girl on her way to work at her first job, she was forcibly grabbed and pulled into some bushes; she also shared that she had been subject to other sexual offences throughout her life and that she had not felt able to share this until a campus sexual assault bill proposed by the Green Party came up. Clark graduated from Burnaby South Senior Secondary before attending Simon Fraser University (SFU),

272-533: A Quebec provincial minister, in 1985. Clark was first elected to the legislative assembly in the 1996 election , representing the riding of Port Moody-Burnaby Mountain. During the next five years, she served as the Official Opposition critic for the environment, children and families and for the public service. She also served as the campaign co-chair for the BC Liberals during the 2001 election , in which

340-533: A de facto 'renewed' policy platform that stands in stark contrast to the last several years of the BC Liberal government and the still-warm corpse of the party’s election platform". One critic saw Clark's gambit as unprincipled "because it’s disrespectful to voters who rely on parties as aggregators of ideas that lead to policies they like", noted that the 30 pledges were absent from the Liberals' election platform, but also

408-576: A former senior investigator with the BC Lottery Corporation, he was convinced that the influx of illicit funds had been going on since at least 2009. He cited a rise in the allowed maximum bet per hand amplified the problem by inviting a criminal element. The former executive director of the Gaming Policy Branch, Larry Vander Graaf, testified that he believed putting restrictions on cash buy-ins at casinos as early as 2009 could have mitigated

476-563: A four-fold advantage over the NDP, such that even The New York Times labelled BC the "wild west" of political cash and the province's elections agency referred its investigation to the RCMP ". During her leadership of the BC Liberals, she had shifted them "so far to the right [with regards to environmental and energy policies] to appease its ascendant federal Conservative flank it is now unrecognizable from

544-410: A political career. Public polling conducted prior to and after the announcement of her candidacy showed that Clark was the frontrunner to succeed Campbell as leader of the BC Liberals and premier. Clark launched her leadership bid saying she wanted a "family-first agenda". During the campaign she tried to cast herself as an outsider from the current caucus, and as the only candidate who could provide

612-465: A program of no-interest loans from the government to first-time home buyers. Clark campaigned on her government's economic track record. However, the opposition NDP and Greens criticized her inaction on "lax political fundraising laws" and portrayed her as "beholden to big money interests", attacking the BC Liberals on "housing, transit and other affordability issues". While BC enjoyed strong economic growth and her government had five balanced budgets, BC

680-636: A riding outside the Lower Mainland in order to get back into the chamber, telling The Globe and Mail that she believed one reason she lost her own riding was that she was devoting so much time to serving the entire province. On June 4, Clark announced she would run in a by-election for the safe Liberal seat of Westside-Kelowna to re-enter the Legislative Assembly. The incumbent MLA, government whip Ben Stewart , resigned in Clark's favour. Clark won

748-539: A seat in the legislature. Clark ran in former Premier Gordon Campbell's riding of Vancouver-Point Grey and defeated NDP candidate David Eby by 595 votes. Her win marked the first time that a governing party won a by-election in 30 years. After Clark became premier, the Liberal Party saw a bounce in support and lead in opinion polls, after falling behind the Official Opposition NDP under Campbell. However,

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816-645: A weekly columnist for the Vancouver Province and the Vancouver Sun newspapers during the 2005 provincial election and an election analyst for Global BC and CTV News Channel during the 2006 federal election . On December 8, 2010, Clark officially announced her intent to seek the leadership of the BC Liberal Party. While Clark had long been touted as a potential successor to BC Premier Gordon Campbell , she often claimed she had no further interest in

884-527: Is expected to be submitted to the provincial government later this year. The money laundering situation in British Columbia has been dubbed the "Vancouver Model" by an Australian professor. In May 2019, the provincial government appointed Austin Cullen , a Supreme Court of British Columbia justice, to lead the inquiry following three reports stating that hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal cash affected

952-572: Is the national financial intelligence agency of Canada . FINTRAC was established in 2000 under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) Act to facilitate detection and investigation of money laundering . Its mandate was expanded in December 2001 following amendments to the Proceeds of Crime Act to also disclose financial intelligence to other Canadian intelligence and law enforcement agencies with respect to suspected terrorist financing . FINTRAC's mandate

1020-752: The Attorney General of British Columbia David Eby stated that he was "incredibly concerned" about the reported reluctance to cooperate with the probe. Cullen also wrote in the report that the commission was also forbidden from interviewing federal prosecutors involved with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada . The report also found that the CEO of the BC Lottery Corporation ignored federal anti-money laundering direction in favour of allowing these transactions as they were large revenue generators. The report concluded Canada failed to stop

1088-721: The Conservative upset byelection win against the Liberals in Toronto—St. Paul's . In October 2024, she confirmed that she was interested in running for the leadership should Justin Trudeau resign. [REDACTED] Media related to Christy Clark at Wikimedia Commons Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada ( FINTRAC ; French : Centre d'analyse des opérations et déclarations financières du Canada )

1156-591: The May 13, 2013, provincial election reversing a 20-point lead held by the BC NDP at the beginning of the campaign. However, she suffered personal defeat in Vancouver-Point Grey, losing her seat to NDP candidate David Eby by a margin of 785 votes. According to parliamentary precedent, she was entitled to remain premier, but had to win a by-election in order to sit in the Legislative Assembly. She did not rule out running in

1224-548: The Privacy Commissioner of Canada every two years. Since 2019 its national security and intelligence activities are subject to oversight by the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency and the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians . In 2009, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada reported that FINTRAC was receiving and retaining personal information beyond its remit, in breach of

1292-687: The Sorbonne in France and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland to major in political science and religious studies . She did not graduate from any post-secondary institution. In 2001, Clark gave birth to her only child, Hamish Marissen-Clark, with then husband Mark Marissen . Clark was the second woman in Canadian history to give birth to a child while serving as a cabinet minister, after Pauline Marois , then

1360-497: The "dramatic conversion to an NDP/Green-light version of her party appear like an over-correction, given the modest shift in support" as the Liberals lost 4 percentage points of popular vote in the general election. However, both the NDP and Green Party leaders said they would not consider legislation by the Liberal minority government, and none of their MLAs broke ranks to support the throne speech. On June 29, Clark's minority government

1428-521: The 2013 general election approached, polls showed that Clark was one of the least popular premiers in Canada. Two months prior to the election, The Province newspaper's front page featured a column by pundit Michael Smyth with the banner headline: "If This Man Kicked A Dog He Would Still Win The Election." However, Clark ran a "tightly-focused campaign that centred on jobs, LNG, and a 'debt free' BC" During

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1496-527: The BC Liberals held the largest number of seats (43), ahead of the NDP (41) and Greens (3), but they were one seat short of forming a majority in the Legislative Assembly. After the election the Liberals entered negotiations with the Green Party of British Columbia, which held the balance of power in the legislative assembly; however, on May 29, 2017, the Greens instead reached a confidence and supply agreement with

1564-521: The British Columbia government exonerated First Nations leaders who had been sentenced to be hanged in the Chilcotin War by Judge Begbie in 1864. Clark stated, "We confirm without reservation that these six Tsilhqot'in chiefs are fully exonerated for any crime or wrongdoing." On September 14 2016 the BC Liberal Party named executive director Laura Miller to be the party's campaign director for

1632-475: The Campbell government in 2007. She also announced in 2012 that any future pipeline that crosses BC would have to meet five conditions that included environmental requirements and Aboriginal consultation. Controversially, she indicated that one of her five conditions would be that BC receives its "fair share" of any revenues that accrue from increased pipeline and tanker traffic. This has put her in direct conflict with

1700-487: The Liberal government did not relinquish power yet, and Clark's new cabinet was sworn in on June 8. Clark subsequently recalled the legislative assembly to test its confidence in her government, with a speech from the throne that included billions of dollars in new funding and key policies supported by the NDP and Greens. Critics saw the throne speech as a cynical way for the Clark government to "desperately cling to power in selling out her party and its supporters in offering

1768-514: The Liberals. In the summer of 2012, several high-profile caucus members, including the Ministers of Education and Finance, announced they wouldn't seek re-election. Though Premier Clark suggested she "expected" the resignations, the news shook her government. The Quick Wins ethnic outreach scandal , where the Liberals used government resources as part of their partisan ethnic outreach activities, generated public outcry. During her premiership, she

1836-643: The May 9, 2017, provincial election. At the time, Miller was facing charges in Ontario for allegedly deleting emails while in service with the Dalton McGuinty provincial Liberal government, though she was later found not guilty. The BC Liberals planned a bridge to replace the Massey Tunnel. The Liberal government instituted taxes for Metro Vancouver property purchases by foreign buyers ("Foreign Buyers Tax"), and implemented

1904-564: The NPA's mayoral nomination to Sullivan by 69 votes out of 2,100 cast. Sullivan was subsequently elected Mayor of Vancouver and in 2013 was elected a Liberal MLA while Clark was premier. Clark hosted The Christy Clark Show, airing weekdays on CKNW 980 AM in Vancouver from August 27, 2007, until the time of her decision to enter the BC Liberal leadership election in December 2010. Clark also served as

1972-415: The Vancouver real estate market. The initial budget for the inquiry was set at $ 15 million. Since the commission was launched in May 2019, the inquiry held 133 days of evidence hearings; called 199 witnesses (an additional 23 witnesses appeared by sworn affidavit); held five community meetings across BC; conducted thousands of hours of independent investigation involving research and interviews; and delivered

2040-416: The aftermath of the 2008–09 recession, and continued to hold the line on government spending, introducing two deficit budgets before a balanced one for the 2013–14 fiscal year, which included a tax hike on high-income British Columbians. Clark's government sought to take advantage of BC's liquified natural gas (LNG) reserves, positioning the budding LNG industry as a major economic development opportunity over

2108-473: The amount of money laundered on an annual basis is somewhere between $ 5 and $ 15 billion. FINTRAC publishes annual results, quarterly updates, performance reports, and notices. FINTRAC analyzes approximately 19 million transactions per year. In 2017, FINTRAC made 2,000 disclosures to police forces. The Director is appointed by the Governor-in-Council for a term of not more than five years during

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2176-496: The bidders. Clark has rebuffed talk of her links to the scandal as "smear tactics". At the time of the raids and associated warrants, her then-husband Mark Marissen was visited at home by the RCMP. Her husband was also not under investigation, and was told that he might have been the "innocent recipient" of documents then in his possession. In 2004, Clark was appointed Minister of Children and Family Development after Minister Gordon Hogg

2244-442: The by-election on July 10, 2013, taking more than 60 per cent of the vote over NDP candidate Carole Gordon. Under Clark the party charted a more centrist outlook while continuing its recent tradition of being a coalition of federal Liberal and federal Conservative supporters. She immediately raised the minimum wage from $ 8/hour to $ 10.25/hour and introduced a province-wide Family Day similar to Ontario's. Clark became premier during

2312-474: The centrist party led by Gordon Campbell, her predecessor". The combination of these controversies caused Liberal support in Metro Vancouver to collapse, as an estimated 100,000 voters switched from the Liberals to the Greens. Furthermore, a video of Clark having a run-in with a disgruntled voter inside a North Vancouver grocery store went viral with the hashtag #IamLinda. In the 2017 general election ,

2380-529: The change voters were looking for. Clark's policy proposals included observing a provincial Family Day in February, establishing an Office of the Municipal Auditor General to monitor local government taxation, and to provide a more open government by holding 12 town hall meetings a year to hear from residents. Regarding the controversial Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), she campaigned early on to cancel

2448-656: The federal level and is considered a "free-enterprise coalition" made up of both federal Conservatives and Liberals, and there were fears that right-wing supporters would move to the British Columbia Conservative Party which had started to make a comeback in the province after decades of dormancy. Her campaign faced questions regarding her involvement in the sale of BC Rail due to her cabinet position and family connection to people "mentioned prominently in court documents, including search warrants", with opposition members stating that she "wants to shut down

2516-536: The final report within budget, despite delays. The report was delivered on June 2, 2022, and the findings are expected to be released on June 15, 2022. The findings are expected to shape the pursuit of Federal direction on tackling money laundering In Canada . According to testimony by the former head of the British Columbia Lottery Corporation Anti-Money Laundering Investigations and Intelligence Division, he

2584-569: The flow of tens of billions in laundered cash per year. The inquiry made several findings, with the most important being the province should create its own anti-money laundering task force. This suggestion builds on another key finding, suggesting Canada’s federal anti-money laundering resources are unreliable. The final report delivered was heavily criticized by whistleblowers, who said that they received little support for coming forward. BC Attorney General David Eby agreed, suggesting he would be pursuing ways to strengthen whistleblower protections in

2652-512: The future. Christy Clark Christina Joan Clark (born October 29, 1965) is a Canadian politician who was the 35th premier of British Columbia (BC), from 2011 to 2017. Clark was the second woman to be premier of BC, after Rita Johnston in 1991, and the first female premier in Canada to lead her party to a plurality of seats in two consecutive general elections. A member of the British Columbia Liberal Party , Clark

2720-476: The increase in support was short lived and within months the party had fallen behind the NDP once again. Several polls eventually showed a statistical tie between the Liberals and the minor Conservative Party , with support for each party in the low twenties, while support for the NDP was in the high 40s. Internal problems within the Conservative Party towards the end of 2012 saw the party bleed support to

2788-577: The independence of the BC College of Teachers against heavy opposition from the British Columbia Teachers' Federation . In 2002, the BC Liberals and Education Minister Christy Clark introduced Bills 27 & 28 forcing teachers back to work and banning collective bargaining. In 2011, the BC Supreme Court found Minister Clark's decision to do so unconstitutional. Clark was deputy premier at

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2856-467: The issue by deterring money launderers; Graaf's calls for these restrictions were ignored. The first interim report of the commission, issued in December 2020, reported that the Government of Canada obstructed the commission lawyers' attempts to access important records and that any records that were provided "have been redacted to the point that they provide no meaningful information." In response to this,

2924-533: The leaders' televised debate, Clark attacked NDP leader Adrian Dix for his "waffling position on the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion". Dix's strategy of taking the "high road", similar to Jack Layton 's successful approach in the 2011 federal election , left him vulnerable to "relentless [BC] Liberal attacks on the economic competence of his party". Clark defied pollster predictions by leading her party to victory, its fourth consecutive mandate but her first, in

2992-452: The leadership convention held on February 26, 2011, Clark was elected leader of the BC Liberals on the third ballot, over former Health Minister Kevin Falcon. She won 52 per cent of the vote, compared to 48 per cent for Falcon. Clark was sworn in as premier of British Columbia on March 14, 2011, and unveiled a new smaller cabinet on the same day. At the time of her swearing in, she did not hold

3060-447: The legislature. Clark then resigned as premier, and Guichon invited Horgan to form a minority government, which took office on July 18. On July 28, Clark announced that she would resign as Liberal Party Leader and exit from politics, effective August 4, 2017. Clark endorsed Jean Charest in the 2022 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election . On June 27, 2024, she called on Justin Trudeau to resign as Prime Minister after

3128-430: The next decade. While the final years of Gordon Campbell's administration had seen far-reaching and progressive environmental legislation enacted, Clark was more measured in her approach to environmental policy. While continuing with BC's first-in-North-America carbon tax, she promised to freeze the rate during the 2013 election and her LNG development aspirations seemed to contradict greenhouse gas emissions targets set by

3196-557: The official opposition NDP, which on paper allowed the NDP to form a minority government by one seat. Although NDP leader John Horgan and Green Party leader Andrew Weaver did not have a close personal relationship, Weaver picked the NDP over the Liberals, citing Clark's dismantling of the province's climate change plan (that Weaver worked with then-Premier Gordon Campbell to develop prior to entering politics) plus support for energy companies and pipelines. Furthermore, Horgan reached out to Weaver personally while Clark did not. Nonetheless,

3264-400: The party won 77 of 79 seats in the legislative assembly. Following the BC Liberal Party's election victory in 2001, Premier Gordon Campbell appointed Clark Minister of Education and Deputy Premier . She brought in a number of changes that were claimed to increase accountability, strengthen parental power in the decision-making process, and provide parents greater choice and flexibility in

3332-514: The pleasure of the Governor General and on the expiry of a first or subsequent term of office but no person shall hold office as Director for terms of more than ten years in the aggregate. Most FINTRAC reports can be submitted electronically or in paper. For electronic submissions, reporting entities must be enrolled in FINTRAC's electronic reporting system and can use either FINTRAC's web form or

3400-474: The premier learned that casinos conducted and managed by a Crown corporation and regulated by government were reporting transactions involving enormous quantities of cash as suspicious. Despite receiving this information, Ms. Clark failed to determine whether these funds were being accepted by the casinos (and in turn contributing to the revenue of the Province) and failed to ensure such funds were not accepted." As

3468-404: The province of Alberta, who sought increased market access for its bitumen through BC ports, yet adamantly refuse any arrangement which would see BC receive any royalties. In May 2014, Clark gave a formal apology for 160 historical racist and discriminatory policies imposed against Chinese-Canadians: While the governments which passed these laws and policies acted in a manner that [was] lawful at

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3536-650: The province's luxury vehicle, gaming , and real estate industries. It was also reported that it was at least partially responsible for the province's opioid epidemic . The inquiry was originally scheduled to conclude in May 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020 British Columbia general election caused delays; the report was delivered on June 2, 2022. The inquiry found that the "Vancouver Model" connected British Columbia, Las Vegas , and Macau casinos. Funds would come into Vancouver from transnational Chinese and Asian crime syndicates via Chinese underground banks. This influx

3604-411: The public's questions about the scandal". It was in the wake of the controversial Basi-Virk guilty pleas that ended the trial proceedings that she declared her candidacy for the party leadership on her radio show. Clark had called for more questions to be answered about BC Rail, but since then has said that there is no need for a public inquiry, as have the other Liberal Party leadership contenders. At

3672-631: The referendum scheduled for September 2011. She suggested a free vote in the legislature by MLAs, believing the HST referendum has little chance of success. "Let our MLAs do their jobs and let our MLAs vote down the HST. Do it by March 31 and get it over with and get on with life in BC", Clark told a crowd of about 40 in Pitt Meadows . However, she eventually decided to continue with the planned referendum. Despite her perceived frontrunner status, backbench MLA Harry Bloy

3740-459: The school system. These changes were unpopular amongst teachers, school board members, opposition politicians, and union officials who argued that the decision not to fund the pay increases agreed to by the government resulted in funding gaps. The changes made were challenged by the BC Teacher's Federation, and were later found to be unconstitutional. As Education Minister, Clark sought to increase

3808-451: The seat left vacant by Campbell. The Liberals were re-elected in the 2013 provincial election in an upset victory . In the 2017 provincial election , the Liberals were reduced to 43 seats—one short of a majority. Following a confidence and supply agreement between the NDP and Green Party, Clark's minority government was defeated 44–42, and NDP leader John Horgan succeeded her as the premier on July 18. Clark subsequently announced that she

3876-587: The time of the privatization of BC Rail and resulting scandal . Clark was also the co-chair of the 2001 Liberal campaign, which included a platform that specifically promised not to sell BC Rail. In 2009, Michael Bolton, defence attorney in the Basi-Virk trial, alleged that Clark had participated in the scandal by providing government information to lobbyist Erik Bornmann . These allegations were never proven or tested in court. Dave Basi and Bob Virk, Liberal Party insiders were charged for accepting benefits from one of

3944-401: The time, today this racist discrimination is seen by British Columbians — represented by all members of the legislative assembly — as unacceptable and intolerable. The entire legislative assembly acknowledges the perseverance of Chinese Canadians that was demonstrated with grace and dignity throughout our history while being oppressed by unfair and discriminatory historical laws. In October 2014

4012-497: Was a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from 1996 to 2005 and was deputy premier from 2001 to 2005 during the first term of Gordon Campbell's government. She left politics in 2005, and became the host of an afternoon radio talk show . After Campbell's resignation, Clark won the 2011 leadership election , becoming premier. She re-entered the legislature after winning a by-election on May 11 in Vancouver-Point Grey ,

4080-536: Was accused of conflict of interest by MLA and former BC Liberal cabinet minister John van Dongen in relation to the sale of BC Rail during her service as a cabinet minister in the Campbell government. In April 2013, BC's Conflict of Interest Commissioner released a decision that Clark had been in neither a real nor apparent conflict of interest. In June 2022 the Cullen Commission of Inquiry into Money Laundering in British Columbia final report stated: "In 2015...

4148-406: Was also "becoming behind the country’s most unequal province, socio-economically speaking, thanks to 37 per cent cuts to income tax levies, tightened rules for welfare eligibility, cuts to child-care subsidies, reductions in support for women’s centres and the doubling of post-secondary tuitions". Clark also faced "relentless criticism over bottomless corporate and foreign donations that gave her party

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4216-457: Was defeated 44–42 after Horgan introduced a no-confidence motion as an amendment to the throne speech. Clark then asked Lieutenant Governor Judith Guichon for a new election, contending that an NDP minority government would be unstable due to the need for one of the NDP's members to become speaker. Clark argued that an NDP speaker would frequently be forced to use their casting vote to break 43–43 ties. Guichon did not agree and refused to dissolve

4284-583: Was forced to resign. On September 17, 2004, Clark quit provincial politics and did not seek re-election in the 2005 provincial election. She declared she wanted to spend more time with her three-year-old son. On August 31, 2005, Clark announced that she would seek the nomination of the Non-Partisan Association (NPA) to run for mayor in the Vancouver Civic Elections against local councillor Sam Sullivan . On September 24, 2005, she lost

4352-574: Was further expanded in 2006 under Bill C-25 to enhance the client identification, record-keeping and reporting measures, established a registration regime for money services businesses and foreign exchange dealers, and created new offences for not registering. FINTRAC has been a member of the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units , an international organization of financial intelligence bodies, since June 2002. FINTRAC receives information from regulated entities on: In 2009, FINTRAC estimated that

4420-401: Was instructed that it was not his job to investigate suspicious transactions. It was common practice for individuals involved with the illicit proceeds of organized crime in Vancouver to bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars in $ 20 bills, convert them to casino chips , and then withdraw the funds in higher denominations; this process is referred to by investigators as "refining". According to

4488-450: Was only stemmed when new regulations came into effect in 2015, according to former Royal Canadian Mounted Police deputy commissioner Peter German . German had been hired by the province to investigate the state of money laundering in the province. His findings were published in the two-part Dirty Money reports. One key finding from the reports is an estimate that over 5 billion dollars—about 5 percent of all transactions—was laundered in

4556-534: Was resigning as Liberal leader effective August 4 and leaving provincial politics. Clark was born on October 29, 1965, in Burnaby , British Columbia, the daughter of Mavis Audrey (née Bain) and Jim Clark. Her father was a teacher and a three-time candidate for the legislative assembly, and her mother, who was born in Glasgow, Scotland , was a marriage and family therapist in Vancouver. On June 8, 2016, Clark recounted that, as

4624-423: Was the only sitting member of BC Liberal caucus to endorse her candidacy for leader. The majority of the caucus supported the campaigns of Kevin Falcon and George Abbott , who were each endorsed by 19 MLAs. While many saw Clark as the best hope for the party there were fears that Clark's past background with the federal Liberal Party could fracture the party. The BC Liberals are not affiliated with any party at

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