A Deep Dive into Cullen's Final Report
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- Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
- Written by editor
Dear Friend,
When the Final Report of the Cullen Commission of Inquiry into Money Laundering in British Columbia was released after a secure media lock-up on June 15, 2022, it did not take long for us to determine that many recommendations were very concerning.
We’ve now read all 1,804 pages – so that you don’t have to.
Upon reviewing the complete report, we can say that, overall, we are disappointed with the majority of Commissioner Cullen’s recommendations.
Read our analysis of the Final Report of the Cullen Commission.
The BCCLA was the only civil liberties association with full participant status in the commission where we advocated for human rights, privacy protections, and due process for people in BC. We are disappointed that the report calls for sweeping changes to tackle money laundering in the province that undermine constitutional rights instead of addressing the root causes of the problem.
Throughout the hearings, we spoke out against this type of tough-on-crime approach, which includes the introduction of unexplained wealth... orders, the aggressive pursuit of civil forfeiture, increased policing, and broad information collection and sharing.
We are pleased with some aspects of the report, including the acknowledgment that racist stereotypes have infused the public discourse around money laundering, and that the discourse should instead focus on addressing legitimate questions related to foreign ownership. We are also pleased that the report recommends that the Civil Forfeiture Office should no longer be self-funded.
Read more in our latest blog A Deep Dive into Cullen’s Final Report.
We will continue to fight against recommendations that grant extraordinary power to the state and impact your Charter rights. Thank you for being on our side.
Sincerely,
Stephen Chin (he/him)
Staff Counsel, Litigation
