Date: Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Time: 9:00 – 11:00 am PT

Register Here

Following the conclusion in February 2023 of the Anti-Corruption Law Program (ACLP) four part series on the Cullen Commission Report, we are pleased to announce a further webinar to discuss progress to date on implementation of the Commission’s recommendations.

The Commission of Inquiry into Money Laundering in British Columbia was created by the Government of British Columbia and led by the former Associate Chief Justice of BC, Austin Cullen. The 1800 page Cullen Commission Report was published in June 2022; it included 101 recommendations to address money laundering in BC and represents a pivotal moment for anti-corruption law reform efforts in BC and in Canada as a whole.

This webinar will feature opening remarks by Justice Austin F. Cullen, (now retired), followed by a panel discussion by senior representatives of the Government of BC, the Government of Canada, and professional associations and civil society groups. They will provide a ‘Status Update’ on the progress that has been made regarding the implementation of the action plans to fight money laundering that were identified in the Cullen Commission Report.

• The Honourable Austin F. Cullen, Retired Associate Chief Justice, Supreme Court
• Jeffrey Simser, Esq, Former Legal Director, Ministry of Attorney General
• David Avren, Vice President, Legal, BC Financial Services Authority
• Erin Hunt, Director General, Financial Crimes and Security Division, Department of Finance, Government of Canada
• Phil Tawtel, Executive Director, BC Civil Forfeiture Office
• Sasha Caldera, Campaign Manager, Beneficial Ownership Transparency, Publish What You Pay Canada

The Honourable Austin F. Cullen – Opening Remarks

Commissioner Cullen graduated from the University of Victoria with a B.A. and the University of British Columbia Law School with an LL.B. He was called to the Bar of British Columbia in 1976. He worked as Crown Counsel from 1976 to 1980, and then worked in private practice from 1980 to 1984. He returned to the office of the Crown Counsel in 1984. Appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1996, he was Regional Crown counsel for the Fraser Region from 1991 to 1997, then Regional Crown counsel for the Vancouver Region 1997 to 1999. Assistant Deputy Attorney General for the Criminal Justice Branch 1999 to 2001, he was appointed to the B.C. Supreme Court March 21st, 2001 and then appointed Associate Chief Justice in December 2011. The B.C. government appointed Justice Austin F. Cullen to lead a public inquiry to understand the full scope of money laundering in British Columbia in 2019.

Jeffrey Simser – Moderator

Jeffrey Simser is a Barrister and Solicitor in Toronto, Canada who was twice qualified as an expert witness before the Cullen Commission. Jeffrey served as a lawyer and legal director at the Ministry of the Attorney General in Toronto, Canada for over thirty years before retiring in 2022. He is one of Canada’s leading experts on asset forfeiture and money laundering law. He holds law degrees from Queens University at Kingston and Osgoode Hall Law School. Mr. Simser is the author of two published books, Civil Asset Forfeiture in Canada (loose-leaf) and Canadian Anti-Money laundering Law: the Gaming Sector. He has published dozens of articles and has provided training and support to law enforcement and to jurisdictions across Canada and around the world (including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Philippines, Guatemala and Kenya).

David Avren – Panelist

Phil Tawtel – Panelist

Phil Tawtel has been the Executive Director of the BC Civil Forfeiture Office (CFO) since 2012.  Before joining the CFO he served with the RCMP for 25 years primarily with the proceeds of crime and commercial crime units.  After retiring from the RCMP he was the Director of Compliance for the North American operations of Custom House, an international foreign exchange firm, for 4 years.  He is a Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant (FCPA).

Sasha Caldera – Panelist

Sasha Caldera is the Beneficial Ownership Transparency campaign manager at Publish What You Pay Canada. Since 2017, Caldera has been managing a national coalition-led advocacy effort for Canada to create a publicly accessible registry of beneficial owners. Caldera prepares technical submissions and leads policy discussions with various government officials in Canada, and manages relationships with federal, provincial, and territorial decision makers. Caldera brings 13 years of NGO experience including co-founding his own non-profit organization and 10 years of advocacy campaign experience. His commentary can be found in The Globe & Mail, the Toronto Star, Global News, iPolitics, the Hill Times, and the CBC. He has also appeared as a witness at the House Commons Standing Committee on Finance. Caldera holds a BA from Simon Fraser University and an MA from Royal Roads University.

This event qualifies for 2 CPD credits from the Law Society of British Columbia.

This webinar series is being presented by the Anti-Corruption Law Program, which is a joint continuing professional educational initiative of the Centre for Business Law at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Transparency International – Canada Chapter, and the Vancouver Anti-Corruption Institute at the International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy, also at UBC.