Thank you for the question.
The short answer is yes.
We consider the inability to find out who is behind a corporation as one of the more significant priority areas for action in the Canadian landscape in respect of money laundering, terrorist financing, and tax evasion. This view is evidently shared by all of our provincial and territorial partners. We are very pleased with the dedication and seriousness that our provincial and territorial partners have brought to our working groups, which kicked off with our last budget process and have proceeded over the last number of months. This is evident in the agreement that provinces and territories reached at the finance ministers' table in December, in concert with ministries responsible for corporate statutes, to bring changes to the relevant statutes to make it be the case that corporations must hold that information. They've also agreed to eliminate the bearer shares, which aren't registered, and this is an important issue as well. It speaks to the importance that all jurisdictions attach to these problems and the priority to act on them.
You raise an additional question, which is the availability of this information to be assessed by the public. This is an issue that we will continue to study with our provincial, territorial, and other federal partners. The important first step is to bring harmonization to the requirement that all corporations should keep records as to who is their beneficial owner. We will then continue our discussions and deliberations with our partners on the merits of a registry, the best modality of a registry, and the difficult question of whether it should be made public or accessible by the appropriate law enforcement agencies and CRA.
I offer that and hope it answers your question.