For Immediate Release

What: BCCLA to provide closing oral submissions at Cullen Commission of Inquiry into Money Laundering in BC

When: Closing submissions for participants are scheduled for October 15, 18, and 19, 2021. The BCCLA currently anticipates that it will present its closing submissions on Tuesday, October 19, 2021.

Where: Closing submissions will take place via videoconferencing – Watch livestream of the closing submissions.

Vancouver, BC (Unceded Coast Salish Territories) – On October 15, 18, and 19, 2021, counsel for the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) will appear before the Cullen Commission of Inquiry into Money Laundering in BC to provide their closing submissions. The BCCLA will urge the Commission to safeguard rights and liberties in developing its recommendations for combatting money laundering.

The BCCLA has been an active participant in the Cullen Commission since hearings began in February 2020. Over the past two years, it has strongly advocated for privacy protections, due process, and human rights before the Commission.

Jessica Magonet, BCCLA Staff Counsel: “During the hearings, there were numerous calls for anti-money laundering measures that raise serious constitutional concerns, including unexplained wealth orders, expanded civil forfeiture powers, and mass data collection. These proposals erode rights and there is no real evidence that they reduce money laundering. We will urge the Commission to weigh the true costs of implementing such invasive measures with unknown benefits.”

Megan Tweedie, BCCLA Senior Counsel: “To tackle money laundering, British Columbia needs to address its root causes, namely our failed model of drug prohibition. Drug prohibition has caused serious harms, including countless deaths in this province. Addressing the demand for illicit drugs is a far more effective and humane strategy for reducing money laundering than other proposals, like increased policing and surveillance.”

The BCCLA is represented by Senior Counsel Megan Tweedie and Staff Counsel Jessica Magonet.

• BCCLA’s written opening statement, delivered to the Commission in February 2020
• BCCLA’s written closing statement, delivered to the Commission in July 2021

Media Contacts

• Jessica Magonet, BCCLA Staff Counsel (available for comment in English or French on or after Friday, October 15, 2021)