Almost four-in-five would create an Anti-Corruption Commissioner, similar to the one currently in place in Quebec.
Vancouver, BC [August 23, 2018] – Most British Columbians remain adamant in their wish for a public inquiry into money laundering in the province’s casinos, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative sample of British Columbians, three-in-four residents (76%, unchanged since June) believe the provincial government should “definitely” or “probably” call a public inquiry into money laundering in casinos.
“The appetite for a public inquiry into money laundering in casinos has not died down over the past two months,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “There is also an extremely high proportion of residents who want to create an office to prevent corruption in the public sector.”
Across the province, 78% of British Columbians think British Columbia should establish an office similar to Quebec’s Anti-Corruption Commissioner, which was created “to ensure the coordination of actions to prevent and to fight corruption in the public sector, including in contractual matters.”
On June 27, BC Attorney General David Eby released an independent report, which detailed how organized crime groups relied on casinos to launder illegal drug money. Videos released on that same day showed people dragging bags of cash into Metro Vancouver casinos.
When asked who is to blame for the current situation related to money laundering in casinos, almost half of British Columbians (48%) place “all of the blame” or “some of the blame” on the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC).
Almost two-in-five residents (39%) think the previous provincial government headed by the BC Liberals deserves “all of the blame” or “most of the blame”, while about one-in-four (23%) feel the same way about the current provincial government headed by the BC New Democratic Party (NDP).
Only 21% of British Columbians place “all of the blame” or “most of the blame” for the current situation on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
A majority of British Columbians (53%, +5 since June) say they have followed stories related to money laundering in the province’s casinos “very closely” or “moderately closely.”
Methodology:
Results are based on an online study conducted from August 13 to August 14, 2018, among 800 adults in British Columbia. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in British Columbia. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.5 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
Find our full data set here and download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca