Canadian banks have frozen $7.8 million in more than 200 accounts under the country’s Emergencies Act as part of efforts to end protests in Ottawa and at key border crossings.
The bank seizures were revealed in testimony to lawmakers examining Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to invoke Canada’s Emergencies Act to end a three-week occupation of the nation’s capital.
Trudeau and his ministers have said the measures announced last week are meant to cut off funding to protest leaders and to pressure trucking companies to prevent their vehicles from being used again in blockades. Ottawa’s downtown core was cleared over the weekend, but dozens of trucks remain gathered at encampments outside the city.
Isabelle Jacques, an assistant deputy minister at the finance department, said it’s “possible although very unlikely” that small donors to the convoy have seen their accounts frozen, given that law enforcement agencies have focused on those directly responsible for the protests.
However, banks have informed the government they’ve started to unfreeze the funds, Jacques said, adding that financial institutions are responsible for conducting their own reviews based on information from police.
The emergency powers are still in place, having been approved by a majority of elected lawmakers in a vote February 21.
The government argues it still needs the powers in case the truckers attempt more blockades, which not only disrupted daily life in Ottawa but shocked the Canadian economy and supply chains by bringing key U.S. border crossings – notably the Ambassador Bridge to Detroit – to a standstill.
Authorities believe there’s a risk of further unrest because of the encampments outside the city.
Earlier this week, Tamara Lich who was the public face of the convoy and helped it crowdfund millions in donations lost her bid for bail. An Ontario Superior Court judge concluded she was evasive during her testimony and was likely to re-offend if released.
As of Monday, police had made a total of 196 arrests related to the Ottawa protest and laid criminal charges against 110 people. They towed 115 vehicles.
The financial dragnet included halting transactions totaling $3.8 million from a payment processor, as well as the freezing of 219 financial products, the disclosure of 57 entities and 253 Bitcoin (BTC) addresses shared with virtual currency exchanges, according to a statement from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
