US embassy cable - 05OTTAWA3571

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. 
 
Visit Canada's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa 
 
WILKINS