Lawyers win victory on Fintrac

Sections of the federal government’s anti-terrorism and money-laundering financing law are unconstitutional because they violate solicitor-client privilege, the Supreme Court of Canada declared Friday.

In a 7-0 ruling, the court carved out an exemption for lawyers from the government’s 2000 law. The government had wanted lawyers to be subject to the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, or Fintrac.

Thomas Conway, president of the Federation of Law Societies, said the ruling allows Canadians to have confidence in their lawyers because it keeps them from becoming “agents of the state.”