CANADA: MEASURES AGAINST WMD PROLIFERATION FINANCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L OTTAWA 003571

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/02/2015
TAGS: PARM PTER PREL EWWT MNUC CA
SUBJECT: CANADA: MEASURES AGAINST WMD PROLIFERATION FINANCE
AT A STANDSTILL

REF: (A) STATE 214780 (B) OTTAWA 3204 (C) STATE 158275

Classified By: POLITICAL M/C BRIAN FLORA. REASON 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (SBU) Post faxed ref (A) points to Foreign Affairs Deputy
Director for Nonproliferation, Deborah Paul, and UN, Human
Rights and Economic Law officer Catrina Ventura on November

28.


2. (C) In a subsequent conversation, Ventura acknowledged the
importance of fulfilling Canada's obligations under UNSCR

1540. She said that current legislation and regulations
limited the Canadian government's ability to freeze assets
and related actions specifically to terrorist financing and
money laundering, and prevented FINTRAC from being able to
disclose information on cases involving proliferation of WMD.
Ventura's office had considered the need for further
regulations related to UNSCR 1540 and thought that expanding
the government's ability to halt WMD proliferation financing
likely would require new regulations under legislation
specifically authorizing compliance with UNSCRs, or amendment
to the Anti-Terrorism legislation.


3. (C) In a separate conversation with Finance Ministry
contacts, emboff was reminded that Canada would be undergoing
FATF review next summer and simultaneously assuming the chair
of FATF. Officials there have said that the GOC will be
anxious to show action in this domain and is likely to be
responsive.


4. (SBU) COMMENT: Both options for halting WMD proliferators
financing would require high-level interagency consultations;
no action is likely, however, until after a new government
has been elected and sworn in, sometime in the first quarter
of 2006. In the case of the Anti-Terrorism legislation, the
ongoing mandatory review by a special parliamentary committee
that would have enabled amendments, ended with this week's
voting down of the government. We understand that a new
committee under the next Parliament will have to start the
review from scratch, further delaying the prospects for
changes to the Anti-Terrorism legislation.

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WILKINS