TORONTO, May, 14 2007 — The Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, David Dodge, Governor of the Bank of Canada, and Bev Busson, Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, today announced the official launch of Integrated Counterfeit Enforcement Teams (ICETs) to help fight against organized counterfeiting activity. “The establishment of the RCMP Integrated Counterfeit Enforcement Teams is an important step in combating serious economic crimes, such as the counterfeiting of Canadian bank notes,” said Minister Day. “Today’s announcement demonstrates that once again we are taking action to tackle crime and protect Canadian from counterfeiting crimes.”“The Bank of Canada strongly supports the implementation of the ICETs. We believe that they will prove to be a critical step in the fight against the serious threat posed by currency counterfeiting,” said Governor Dodge. “Bank note counterfeiting results in a loss of confidence in Canada’s paper money and can undermine the economic health of our country. Maintaining that trust is a job that the Bank of Canada takes very seriously. That is why the Bank has been, and continues to be, committed to partnering with law-enforcement authorities to help deter this harmful criminal activity.”Working in close collaboration with the Bank of Canada and national and international policing partners, the dedicated ICETs will be located in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, but will have the flexibility to operate anywhere in Canada. Counterfeit specialists affiliated with the teams will also be located in Halifax and Calgary. "As we already do in so many ways, we will seek out partnership opportunities with other police agencies, as well as share with them information and intelligence regarding counterfeit currency activity across Canada," said RCMP Commissioner Busson. "In fact, the participation of the law enforcement community as a whole is already playing a significant role in combating counterfeit currency.""Retail Council of Canada is delighted with the Federal Government's commitment to deal with the issue of counterfeit currency which affects both retailers and consumers alike," said Retail Council of Canada President and CEO, Diane Brisebois. "Working together with the RCMP and the Bank of Canada, we have had much success in arresting and prosecuting those who produce and distribute counterfeit currency in Canada and the government's announcement today will further assist in that regard." Canada’s New Government is committed to giving the RCMP the tools and resources they need to tackle crime. The teams have already started to produce concrete results across the country. For example, in December 2006, a joint RCMP and Quebec police forces investigation took down an operation in Montreal believed to have been responsible for over $600,000 in counterfeit banknotes.Canada’s New Government, in partnership with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, has also launched www.OrganizedCrime.ca – a website that will help to build public awareness of how organized crime affects the lives of Canadians.See alsoBackgounder - Securing Canada’s economic integrity Information:Mélisa LeclercDirector of CommunicationsOffice of the Honourable Stockwell DayMinister of Public Safety 613-991-2863Media RelationsPublic Safety Canada613-991-0657
