Hon. Roy Cullen, P.C., C.P.A.

Profile

Roy speaking in the House on May 14, 2008

Born in 1944 in Montreal, Canada, Roy Cullen earned his B.A. in Business Administra¬tion, and a Master of Public Administration. He qualified as a Canadian Chartered Accountant in 1972. Initially elected to the House of Commons in Ottawa in a by-election in 1996, he was re-elected in the 1997, 2000, 2004, and the 2006 general elections. He retired from the Canadian House of Commons in 2008. During his career prior to 1996, Mr. Cullen lived and worked in Bermuda and South Africa for six years, following which he served as an assistant deputy minister in the British Columbia Ministry of Forests, and as a vice-president in the Noranda Forest Group (now Norbord).

As a member of the Prime Minister Jean Chrétien’s government, and later under Prime Minister Paul Martin, Mr. Cullen served as chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance, as parliamentary secretary to the minister of finance, as parliamentary secretary to the deputy prime minister and the minister for public safety and emergency preparedness; and as chair of the Ontario Liberal caucus. In 2006 he was sworn-in as a member of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada (now King's Privy Council for Canada). He also served as Official Opposition critic for natural resources.

In March 2004, Mr. Cullen orchestrated the passage of a complex private members’ Bill C-212, An act respecting user fees, by engaging members of parliament and senators.  The Bill was passed and resulted in significant changes to government user fees, making the system more transparent, performance-based, and accountable.

During his tenure as parliamentary secretary to the minister of finance, Mr. Cullen was actively involved in designing and implementing Canada’s anti-money-laundering regime. Mr. Cullen has been very active with the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) in the international fight against corruption and money laundering. He has spoken out on these scourges and has played a leadership role at several anti-corruption and anti-money-laundering workshops and conferences.

In 2008 Mr. Cullen completed a book The Poverty of Corrupt Nations in which he examines the relationship between corrupt leaders and poverty; and how, as a result of the misappropriation of public assets by elected and senior officials, millions of citizens around the world are being deprived of the basic human right of the chance to move out of the ranks of the poor. He offers a Twenty Point Plan as a way of attacking these vexing problems. In his second book, Beyond Question Period, or What really goes on in Ottawa, which was published in 2011, he chronicles the life of an MP In Ottawa beyond the rhetoric of the cut and thrust of Question Period. His first novel, A Cursed English, was published in September, 2020.

Roy Cullen served on the Board of Governors of the Victoria Conservatory of Music (VCM) from 2011 to 2021, including five years as Chair. In 2022 he was named an Honourary Governor of the VCM. He has held senior positions with the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC); and leadership roles with the Victoria & Esquimalt Police Board, the Salvation Army, the United Way, and Rotary International.

Mr. Cullen lives in Victoria, B.C., Canada, with his wife, Ethne. They have one son, Peter.

Mr. Cullen can be contacted at cullenR@shaw.ca

Governance, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering and public sector financial management experience

•   In April, 2023, participated as a member of a Canadian Audit & Accountability Foundation (CAAF) team, performing an Extractive Industries International Governance and Performance Program, in Georgetown, Guyana.

•   On October 13, 2022, was a moderator on a panel on Money Laundering at a Conference on Organized Crime organized by the Global Initiative to Combat Transnational Crime.

•   On March 9, 2022, under the auspices of the Anti-Corruption Law Program in Vancouver BC, moderated a panel on the topic - INTERNATIONAL ANTI-CORRUPTION COURT – AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME? Panelists were Hon. Allan Rock, Hon. Peter MacKay, Harvard Law Professor Matthew Stephenson, and international lawyer, Juanita Olaya Garcia.

•   Member of a NATO (Building Integrity) Peer Review Panel reviewing governance and best practices at the UK Ministry of Defence. (November, 2018 – 2020)

•   Prize winner in the The Seventh Annual Amartya Sen Essay Contest for an essay entitled - Pulling the Plug on Money Laundering in British Columbia, Canada: Lessons Learned and Actions Required . The essay contest is sponsored by Global Financial Integrity, Academics Stand Against Poverty, and the Yale University Global Justice Program.

•   Speaker at the Canadian Club of Victoria - Canada’s Role in Combatting Global Corruption - Canadian Club of Victoria January 19, 2016 - Harbour Towers Hotel, Victoria, BC.

•   Panel Presenter - The Role of Indonesian Financial Intelligence Unit in Combating Corruption at the Sixth Global Conference of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC), Yogyakarta - Indonesia, October 7, 2015

•   Panel Presenter, and break-out group discussant, at a NATO (Building Integrity) Workshop - Strengthening Transparency, Accountability and Integrity in the defence and Security Sector – Promoting Good Practice - A Workshop for Members of Parliament : November 7-9, 2014, Laxenburg/Vienna, Austria. Specific topic - Strengthening Political-Military Dialogue with Parliament.

•   Panel participant at the Egmont Plenary in Lima Peru, June 2014 on the topic - The Role of Parliamentarians in Strengthening the Operational Independence of FIUs (Financial Intelligence Units).

•   Co-Chaired an anti-money laundering panel at the Anti-Corruption Conference of Caribbean Parliamentarians, Dec 5-6, 2013, Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago.

•   Panel presenter at the United Nations Convention Against Corruption CoSP (Conference of the States Parties) in November 2013 in Panama City, Panama. Panel topic - The Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative - 7 years of international efforts in support of the recovery of stolen assets “Building Trust and Bolstering Collective Action - Partnerships for Asset Recovery”

•   Panel presenter at 5th Global Conference of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) in Manila, Philippines on January 31, 2013 to an audience of about 300 delegates on the topic - Anti-Money Laundering Laws vs. Bank Secrecy.

•   Panel presenter at United Nations Development Program (UNDP) / Government of Turkey International Conference on Promotion of Transparency and Accountability for Strengthened Integrity Systems, December 5-6, 2012 in Ankara, Turkey (Project for Support to Effective Implementation of National Anti-Corruption Strategy in Turkey). Topic of the panel - Openness and transparency in the financing of political parties and election campaigns.

•   Led a workshop for Tanzanian Parliamentarians in Dodoma, Tanzania on the topic of United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) and the fight against corruption and money laundering - June 15/16, 2012.

•   Anti-money laundering presentation to group of Congressmen, Congresswomen, and Senators from the Philippines Parliament, and various NGOs, in Manila, March 16, 2012.

•   Participated on a panel, Best Practices in Asset Recovery and Anti-Money Laundering, organized by the UNCAC Coalition In Marakech, Morocco, October 27, 2011.

•   Launched the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC)'s Anti-Money Laundering Action Guide for Parliamentarians at the Meeting of the States parties of the United nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) in Marrakech, Morocco, October 26, 2011.

•   Speaker at the 4th Global conference of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) in Mexico City March 11-13, 2011.

•   Keynote speaker (January 7, 2011) at Model United Nations session organized by University of British Columbia, Canada.

•   In September 2010, chaired a two day meeting of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians against Corruption, (GOPAC’s) Global Ant-Money Laundering Task Force at the headquarters of the Financial Action Task Force Secretariat at the OECD in Paris, France which resulted in the publication of GOPAC's Anti-Money Laundering Action Guide for Parliamentarians in July 2011.

•   Keynote Presentation -Building the Political and Institutional Will to Combat the Laundering of Corrupt Money - at the APEC and Thailand's National Anti-Corruption Commission sponsored Capacity-Building Workshop: Formulating Strategies for Strengthening Interagency Mechanisms for Combating Corruption Related to Money Laundering, 21 – 23 October 2009 Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand.

•   Royal Roads University, A Consultation on Governance & Security -participated in panel discussion on Intra and Interstate relations, October 15, 2009.

•   Presentation to the Egmont Group Plenary Session, Doha, Qatar, May 25th, 2009. Topic: The Fight Against the Laundering of Corrupt Money.

•   Book Launch – The Poverty of Corrupt Nations -World Bank InfoShop World Bank J Building18th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue January 29th, 2009 Washington, D.C.

•   Presentation at the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) Conference of the States Parties Doha, 3nd FORUM FOR PARLIAMENTARIANS Doha, Qatar, November 10, 2009 Topic : Building on the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) by Engaging Parliamentarians in the Fight against the Laundering of Corrupt Money.

•   Chaired two workshops on behalf of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC), and the Parliament of Tanzania two workshop panels on the topic - Anti-Money Laundering and Recovery of Assets: The Two sides of the Coin (Parts I & II) Arusha, Tanzania Friday, September 21 & 22, 2006. The Workshops developed anti-money laundering resolutions for GOPAC that were adopted unanimously at the plenary session on September 23, 2006.

•   Co-chaired with the World Bank, on behalf of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC), a workshop - Financial Market Integrity: Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism in Arusha, Tanzania, Wednesday, September 20, 2006.

•   Participated in Anti Money Laundering initiative for Kyrgyz Republic Parliamentarians in Ottawa, Ontario March 4-8, 2006. Co-sponsored by Parliament of Kyrgyzstan and the Parliamentary Centre, Canada.

•   Co-Chaired, with Mexican Senator Cesar Jauregi Robles, an Anti Money Laundering Training Workshop for Latin American and Caribbean Parliamentarians in Mexico City March 2-5, 2006. Session co-sponsored by Department of Foreign Affairs Canada, International Compliance Association, and the Mexican Senate.

•   IMF Macroeconomic Policy Seminar for Parliamentarians from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, and Serbia and Montenegro sponsored by the International Monetary Fund at the Joint Vienna Institute, September 19-23, 2005, Vienna, Austria. I co-chaired Session X: Governance - Combating the Financing of Terrorism and Money Laundering.

•   In 2003 worked with members of Russia’s State Duma and the Federation Council, in the restructuring of national budget development processes and parliamentary oversight mechanisms. Strengthened the role of Russia’s Accounts Chamber (Auditor General/ General Accounting Office equivalent).

•   NATO Conference on Parliamentary Oversight of the Sphere of Security, Defense and National Economy - Topic: Money Laundering and Corruption as New Threats to National Security - September 27th-28th, 2003, Kiev, Ukraine.

•   GOPAC/IMF/World Bank; Co-chaired Workshop on Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Financing of Terrorism, Nairobi, Kenya, November 2003.

•   Speech at Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe 2002 ORDINARY SESSION ,(Third part), Nineteenth sitting, Tuesday 25 June 2002 at 3 p.m. on the topic -The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

•   COMMONWEALTH PARLIMENTARY ASSOCIATION, Canadian Branch. Mr. Roy Cullen, M.P. (Etobicoke North) represented the Canadian (Federal) Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Workshop- Ensuring Accountability – in Nairobi, Kenya from December 9th – December 13th, 2001.

•   Speech to Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe 1998 ORDINARY SESSION, (First part), Fifth sitting, Wednesday 28 January 1998 at 3 p.m. (topic: Economic Crime in Eastern Europe)

•   Speaker at Rotary International, and other service clubs, on the topic of combating corruption and money laundering.