A foreign PEP is a person who holds or has held one of the following offices or positions in or on behalf of a foreign state:
- head of state or head of government;
- member of the executive council of government or member of a legislature;
- deputy minister or equivalent rank;
- ambassador, or attaché or counsellor of an ambassador;
- military officer with a rank of general or above;
- president of a state-owned company or a state-owned bank;
- head of a government agency;
- judge of a supreme court, constitutional court or other court of last resort; or
- leader or president of a political party represented in a legislature.
- Governor General, lieutenant governor or head of government;
- member of the Senate or House of Commons or member of a legislature;
- deputy minister or equivalent rank;
- ambassador, or attaché or counsellor of an ambassador;
- military officer with a rank of general or above;
- president of a corporation that is wholly owned directly by Her Majesty in right of Canada or a province;
- head of a government agency;
- judge of an appellate court in a province, the Federal Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court of Canada;
- leader or president of a political party represented in a legislature; or
- mayor
.A HIO is a person who currently holds or has held within the last 5 years the specific office or position of head of an international organization and the international organization that they head or were head of is either:
- an international organization established by the governments of states;
- an institution of an organization referred to above; or
- an international sports organization.
The HIO is the primary person who leads the organization. For example, the HIO could be a president or CEO.
If a person is a PEP or HIO, some of their family members are considered family members of PEPs or HIOs under the PCMLTFA and associated Regulations. These family members are:
- their spouse or common-law partner;
- their biological or adoptive child(ren);
- their mother(s) or father(s);
- the mother(s) or father(s) of their spouse or common-law partner (mother-in-law or father-in-law); and
- the child(ren) of their mother or father (sibling(s)).
A close associate can be a person who is connected to a PEP or HIO for personal or business reasons. Examples of relationships that could indicate that someone is a close associate (personal or business) could include, but are not limited to, persons who:
- are the business partners of, or who beneficially own or control a business with, a PEP or HIO;
- are in a romantic relationship with a PEP or HIO;
- are involved in financial transactions with a PEP or a HIO;
- serve as prominent members of the same political party or union as a PEP or HIO;
- serve as a member of the same board as a PEP or HIO;
- carry out charitable works closely with a PEP or HIO; or
- are listed as joint on a policy where one of the holders may be a PEP or HIO.