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VANCOUVER — Canada must urgently create public registries that reveal the true owners of corporations in order to shed its international reputation as a destination for laundering the proceeds of crime, an inquiry has heard.

A coalition of tax fairness groups told British Columbia’s money laundering inquiry Wednesday that hiding ill-gotten cash behind shell companies is so widespread in Canada it’s known globally as “snow washing.”

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“It is no wonder criminals set their sights on Canada, which has some of the weakest corporate transparency laws in the world,” said James Cohen, representing Transparency International Canada, Canadians For Tax Fairness and Publish What You Pay Canada.

“There are more rigorous checks to obtain a library card than there are to set up a shell company.”

B.C. launched the provincial inquiry amid growing concern that illegal cash was helping to fuel its real estate, luxury car and gambling sectors. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is participating and says it is committed to tackling the national problem.