Focusing on trying to improve the situation in light of recent events
The minister said there would be definitely an improvement in the way information flows between Canada's government and law enforcement agencies.
Money laundering has been one of the hot topics throughout British Columbia since the scandalous revelations sparked the conversation. Casino locations such as Richmond's River Rock Casino have been used by senior Chinese officials to launder huge amounts of dirty cash, according to claims. With the help of a third party, a large amount of money was exchanged for gambling chips in places, often amounting to C$200,000. Later, criminals were simply collecting the cash value of chips without gambling.
Need to improve intelligence flow
The latest information released by the Federal Ministry of Finance highlighted that about C$1 billion could have been laundered in this way. However, further considering, when adding information previously published regarding the E-Pirate survey, the total amount could reach C$2 billion. Attorney General David Evey expressed complete dissatisfaction with the fact that the federal government was aware of the actual scale of the issue, but did not notify British Columbia about it.
In addressing the issue, Blair met with Ebi to discuss the issue at hand and draw up an action plan to ensure that criminal activity of this magnitude is in the interests of the community in the long run. The meeting comes at a critical time when the state is extensively reviewing its regulatory and anti-money laundering practices. Both the gambling and real estate sectors in British Columbia have provided favorable conditions for such illegal activities to flourish.
Blair is well aware of the ongoing problems and the fact that over the years Canada has experienced money laundering on many levels. But it's time for change, and the federal and state governments will have to work at the same time. By improving communication and the flow of information, major problems such as billions of Canadian dollars in laundry could be easily prevented.
Re-discussing the public investigation
What should be considered is that the province is currently investigating this subject thoroughly and actively working towards its goals. Such a review is likely to have a significant impact on the final decision the federal government makes this year. This could mean working together to achieve a better understanding of the situation and how this nature can be prevented in the future.
October 21st is an important day for all Canadians as it is set for the 43rd Canadian federal election. Prime Minister Ebi noted concerns about the campaign and the potential to prevent the federal government from fully focusing on British Columbia's money laundering crisis.
He also expressed his opinion on claims that a public investigation may be underway, and said that was a possible approach to the situation. Advances on this subject will attract more and more attention in the coming weeks.