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But critics say the government’s actions to date on tax evasion are not nearly enough and that the Conservatives are simply trying to look busy ahead of the G8 summit.

“It’s going to be a very awkward meeting for the prime minister,” said Liberal Sen. Percy Downe, one of the leading voices in Parliament on combating tax evasion. “Once they found out about this (G8 meeting) they announced a few piecemeal initiatives.”

Canada was not part of an international tax evasion investigation recently announced by the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia, raising more questions about Ottawa’s efforts on the file.

The federal government, however, has been promised relevant information on any Canadian citizens involved in the probe.

“Our government has a close working relationship with our international partners and immediately secured a commitment that information relevant to Canada would be shared,” Shea added.

The three countries announced an investigation in May into offshore trusts and companies — in tax havens such as Singapore, the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and Cook Islands — that were used to “conceal assets by wealthy individuals and companies.”

The investigation is believed to include information that overlaps with data obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, including the CBC, which identified approximately 130,000 people worldwide, including what’s believed to be about 450 Canadians, with accounts in offshore tax havens.

The federal government has also been criticized for not calculating an estimated tax gap — the difference between what the government should be collecting in taxes and what it’s actually collecting — although other G8 countries like the U.S. and United Kingdom already publish an estimate.

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