B.C. needs public inquiry on money laundering

Over the last decade, many of us have been unknowing extras in a high-stakes drama that has played out across the province. Skyrocketing housing costs, a decline in B.C.’s average life expectancy, and untold billions of dollars worth of $20 bills stuffed in duffel bags — it’s a plot line that would be dismissed in Hollywood as too farfetched.

But in B.C., it is reality. Just how deep it goes is anyone’s guess, with police investigations pegging the amount of suspicious cash flowing into criminal coffers at over $2 billion each year. All this has left public trust in the rule of law in this province badly shaken.

So far, the provincial government’s approach has been positive, but the investigations to date have been piecemeal and have resulted in more questions and no real answers: Who knew and looked the other way? Who got rich while so many were pushed out of the housing and rental markets, or lost loved ones to the overdose crisis? Who tried to do something and paid a professional or personal price for their integrity?

With the public hungry for answers, pressure is mounting on the provincial government to step up their efforts to get to the truth of how we got here, who was involved, and how to move forward to protect B.C. communities. The latest public opinion polling shows three in four British Columbians are in favour of a full-scale, well-resourced public inquiry, and the B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union agrees. Last week, our union launched a petition calling on the provincial government to immediately call a public inquiry. More than 3,000 people signed on within the first few days, and the number grows each day.

The BCGEU is uniquely positioned to call for an inquiry as this multi-layered crisis has impacted our membership in a number of ways.

Not only have members identified the housing affordability crisis as a top concern, leading the union to launch its Affordable B.C. Plan in 2017, members in health care, social services, libraries and casinos along with deputy sheriffs and correctional officers have been thrust into first responder roles on the front lines of the overdose crisis as well.

Our union has been working hard to support members as they face the challenges of both the overdose and housing crises, but it’s time to take the next step.

A provincewide commission would go a long way toward getting to the bottom of this crisis and providing the answers the public deserves. Concerns that an independent inquiry would jeopardize ongoing police investigations are misplaced. Former police officers and experts agree that a public inquiry would not interfere with ongoing police work. In fact, in Quebec, the Charbonneau Commission completed its work concurrent with police investigations to no ill effect.

This week, Vancouver council passed a motion to identify how the city can assist the province in addressing money laundering and will discuss endorsing a provincial public inquiry at their next meeting. I expect there to be broad bipartisan support for an inquiry from the representatives of not only the largest city in B.C., but arguably the city that has been hardest hit by the crisis.

Like with all good crime dramas, the public is clamouring for a satisfying conclusion that sees the protagonists vindicated, and the bad guys get their comeuppance. Only a broadly mandated, well-resourced public inquiry will give us the answers and tools that we need to close this dark chapter in B.C.’s history and safeguard our communities from further harm.

On behalf of the 78,000 members of the BCGEU and the thousands who have signed our petition, I am calling on the provincial government to act quickly and cement its status as defenders of the public interest, lest the opportunity to bring those responsible to justice slips away.