Why CBC isn't naming all 450 Canadians in offshore leak

CBC News has come into possession of an enormous amount of information about Canadians' participation in offshore banking and other financial institutions.

The Washington, D.C.-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists has received nearly 30 years' worth of data entries, emails and other confidential details from 10 offshore havens around the world, a cache of 2.5-million leaked digital files which identifies nearly 130,000 people worldwide with savings in hidden accounts. Media outlets in nearly 40 countries are involved in the consortium, and CBC is its exclusive Canadian partner.

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The documentation provided to CBC News includes the names of some 450 Canadians who have set up these offshore accounts or holdings. We have already reported details concerning one such account-holder and expect to produce more such reports in the weeks and months to come.

At the same time, we are mindful of the reality that holding an offshore account is not evidence of wrongdoing and may not be controversial. So we are not simply reproducing the raw information we have received through the consortium. Our journalists are working through that information in a careful and methodical way to confirm the information received, identify appropriate stories, and complete them with appropriate context.

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As this work proceeds, CBC News will broadcast and publish the stories that result.