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Will Canada support a new global agreement to tackle the world’s fourth most lucrative crime? The answer is not clear.

International environmental crime is estimated to be worth up to US$300 billion annually. Other high-value crime areas – narcotics, weapons smuggling, corruption, human trafficking and counterfeiting – all fall under an international co-operation convention. Environmental crime doesn’t.

Later this year, adding new environmental frameworks to that convention will be discussed at United Nations meetings. Under that proposal, participating states would commit to tightening laws and implementing collaboration processes.

Unfortunately, the Canadian government has reserved its position at this time. It should support the proposal as a logical extension of Canada’s longstanding commitment to multilateral, rules-based co-operation on both crime and the environment.That would not only help Canadian interests. It would assist the many countries with far fewer means than ours to fight transnational crime. 

The problem is widespread

Illegal fishing,........

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