I think so, yes. Clearly.
In all the research and reporting into the matter internationally, everyone agrees that Canada is one of the best places to launder money. It has almost become one of our economic claims to fame. You just have to think of Vancouver and Toronto, where the real estate market has been interesting, to say the least.
It is disgraceful; there is nothing to be proud about. Certainly, in our everyday work, we deal with different companies and we do not always realize that money laundering is going on. Let us not forget that people who launder money are fraudsters and they are very friendly. As we are used to doing business with them, we let our guard down and we do less research because we trust them. Everything is based on trust. We may not want to be bad ourselves, but we do not necessarily do the diligence that is due.
If it was only one report coming out from time to time, the situation would not be so serious. But the World Bank, the United Nations and journalist groups all come to the same conclusion: Canada really is one of the best places to launder money. It will keep people like me employed for a very long time still, but it is unfortunate. We could be working at something more proactive.