Intelligence agency signed secret deal with bank that compromised obligations | Unpublished
Hello!
×

Warning message

  • Last import of users from Drupal Production environment ran more than 7 days ago. Import users by accessing /admin/config/live-importer/drupal-run
  • Last import of nodes from Drupal Production environment ran more than 7 days ago. Import nodes by accessing /admin/config/live-importer/drupal-run

Unpublished Opinions

National Observer's picture
Vancouver, British Columbia
About the author

National Observer is a new publication founded by Linda Solomon Wood and an award-winning team of journalists in response to the close relationship between the oil industry and media in Canada, and the urgency of climate change. National Observer focuses on news and in-depth reports on under-covered Canadian stories in the area of climate, energy, and related culture, business and politics. It was launched in May 2015 by Observer Media Group (OMG), which also owns Vancouver Observer.

Seed funding for National Observer came from a Kickstarter campaign, 'Reports from the Energy Battlegrounds' in February 2015. Since its inception in May 2015, National Observer has provided intensive, critical coverage of the oil industry, politics, corporate corruption, and much more.

We also highlight inspired business innovations and lifestyle hacks that build sustainability and resilience and help in the transition away from fossil fuels.

We provide our talented reporters days, weeks, sometimes even months, to do the investigative reporting that is vital to democracy.

For more information please visit our website at: http://www.nationalobserver.com

Like it

Intelligence agency signed secret deal with bank that compromised obligations

April 13, 2017

The head of Canada's financial intelligence agency has admitted it signed a deal that interfered with the government's legal obligations under federal freedom of information legislation.

The director of the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) made the admission on Tuesday as he elaborated on a confidential agreement that FINTRAC struck with Manulife after fining the bank $1.15 million for violating Canada's money laundering rules over 1,200 times.

Canada's access to information legislation is an accountability tool that allows Canadians to gain access to public records within 30 days after paying a $5 fee. The legislation allows the government to request extensions or censor information if it can provide valid reasons for doing so. 

"The issues were very different than what we face normally (after receiving a formal request for access to information)," said the agency's director, Gérald Cosette at the House of Commons access to information committee.