Public Inquiry into money laundering to be held -- afterwards some might be saying of the BC NDP and BC Liberals, “It sucks to be you!”

The story of money laundering in BC, and who knew what, when, has been ongoing now for years.  So, the questions to be asked is, “WHY has it taken so long to finally getting around to an inquiry on this?”

BC Liberals blame the NDP ... the NDP blame the BC Liberals ... and in the meantime the fall-out from the money-laundering (most everyone was aware of), was thousands dying from drug overdoses, multi-million dollar mansions being purchase by university students ... hyper inflation on housing prices ... gangsters shooting it up on the streets ... and young punks, that had never had a job in their lives, driving around in luxury sports cars worth hundreds of thousand of dollars.

Numerous times in the past I accused the former Liberal government of being addicted to the revenues gambling brought in – hence its ever-expanding tentacles into every nook and corner of the province.

The BC NDP however, have not been any better!

Upon news of the up-coming public inquiry, both the NDP and BC Liberals sent out media releases with regards to the up-coming public inquiry into money laundering.  As you’ll see, both the NDP and Liberals took the opportunity to somewhat blame the other –- and I say somewhat only because I am sure that they know British Columbians have had enough. 

I have also included the response from Green Party MLA Adam Olsen, who adds some balance to the whole issue.

READ ON ......

(BC NDP) Government to hold public inquiry into money laundering

BC Government News -- May 15^th, 2019: 

The Province will hold a public inquiry into money laundering that has distorted British Columbia’s economy, fueled the overdose crisis and driven up housing prices.

The decision to proceed with a commission of inquiry follows three independent reviews that found extraordinary levels of money laundering in B.C.’s real estate market and other sectors of the economy.

“From day one, our government has been working to tackle the housing crisis and fraud that went unchecked for over a decade, hurting people and B.C.’s economy,” said Premier John Horgan.

“We have taken decisive actions to combat money laundering, but questions remain and people in B.C. deserve answers. That is why we have decided to proceed with a public inquiry into money laundering in the Province of British Columbia.”

“This inquiry will bring answers about who knew what when and who is profiting from money laundering in our province,” said David Eby, Attorney General.

“The Honourable (BC Supreme Court) Justice Austen Cullen will have the mandate, authority and resources to seek answers, perhaps most importantly among people and organizations who refuse to share what they know unless legally compelled to do so.” 

ADAM OLSEN / BC Green Party

... following two weeks of questions at the beginning of this session the B.C. Green Caucus called for an independent public inquiry.

The superb investigative work of journalists like Sam Cooper at Global News and Kathy Tomlinson at the Globe and Mail, uncovered a festering criminal underworld operating in British Columbia. ... growing body of allegations that BC casinos, horse racing, luxury vehicles and real estate ... used to wash billions of dollars of drug money.

... there are a concerning number of allegations that the former government was aware of the activity. However, there was no action to stop it ... it's long past time to move into the next phase of this important work to clean up the mess.

...  independent public inquiry removes the potential of partisan influence in the investigation ... from the housing crisis to the opioid crisis the information flowing out of the investigations to date has shown an incredible financial and human cost. The public must be able to have confidence that there is accountability for those responsible for the decisions that led to these outcomes.

... commission should be given the time it needs to undertake a thorough investigation. In addition, it must have full public transparency wherever possible.

... we (BC Green Party) commit to working with the provincial government to remedy this situation and restore the public's trust.

BC Liberal Party ... the public inquiry must not slow action by John Horgan and NDP to address money laundering

“Money laundering is a very serious issue for Canada and our province. The recently released Maloney report estimates it is a $47-billion problem in Canada and a $7.4-billion issue in British Columbia”, said Michael Lee, BC Liberal Attorney General Critic

Now that the NDP has decided to proceed with a public inquiry... government must also commit to ensuring that while the lengthy inquiry process unfolds, the top priority is to prosecute and put the criminals who commit these crimes in jail as soon as possible— so that British Columbians can have confidence that our criminal justice system is working.

“To assist in reaching this goal, the BC Liberals will fully cooperate with the inquiry.”

I think that whatever comes of the public inquiry there will still be a lot of finger pointing going on between the BC Liberals and the NDP, and the people of BC I am sure will be even mo9re furious about the crap that went down by both parties.

As the old saying goes, “It sucks to be you!”