Attorneys General To Meet With Canadian Counterparts

Attorneys general from several Northwest states will meet with their Canadian counterparts Sunday and Monday to discuss cross-border issues such as telemarketing fraud, Internet crime and tobacco litigation.

Attorneys general from Washington, Alaska, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and North Dakota will attend the meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia. They’ll be joined by their colleagues from British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Yukon Territory.

A growing number of fraudulent telemarketers are operating out of Canada while preying on U.S. citizens, said Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire.

“Telemarketers need to know they can’t hide across the border and ignore the other nation’s laws,” she said. “We want to use the combined legal resources of both Canada and the United States to stop this cross-border consumer fraud.”

Crime across the border continues to be a problem, said British Columbia Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh.

“The big-time drug smuggler, criminals who use the Internet to exploit children, or the fraudulent telemarketers who prey on vulnerable senior citizens while hiding behind a border must be brought to justice, no matter where they do business,” he said.

Like 41 U.S. states, British Columbia has sued tobacco companies. The attorneys general plan to discuss the litigation and cooperation on the lawsuits.

Gregoire and Dosanjh will co-host the meeting, which begins Sunday morning and continues until noon Monday.