Canada slips on least-corrupt ranking
Canada slid to its lowest level in at least a decade on a global index of corruption, driven down by the Snc-lavalin Group Inc. scandal, says a new report.
The country was ranked 12th of 180 countries on Berlin-based Transparency International’s 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index, an annual worldwide ranking of least-corrupt country to worst. Canada ranked ninth in 2018 and sixth in 2010, according to the report, issued Thursday.
While Canada had the best score in the Americas — 77 out of 100 — the country has slipped four points since last year and 12 points since 2010, the data shows.
“A former executive of construction company Snc-lavalin was convicted in December over bribes the company paid in Libya,” Transparency International said in the report. “Our research shows that enforcement of foreign bribery laws among OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries is shockingly low,” it said, referring to a group of 36 countries sometimes called the rich nations club.
Denmark and New Zealand coled the index, emerging as the world’s least-corrupt states with scores of 87, while Somalia had the worst score at nine, followed by war-torn nations South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
The United States ranked 23rd and the United Kingdom tied with Canada, Australia and Austria.
The corruption index is among a handful of indicators — such as the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking — that give snapshots of a country’s performance. They can help influence foreign policy and even debt ratings.