麻豆影视

Skip to main content

Freeland says some protesters' accounts have been frozen, more to come

Share

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says financial service providers have already frozen accounts of certain individuals associated with the trucker convoy blockades and protests.

Freeland said that while the government is choosing not to provide more detail about the number of the accounts suspended, 鈥渁ction is being taken [and] is going to increase鈥 in the coming days.

Ottawa gave new powers to financial institutions, through invoking the Emergencies Act on Monday, to freeze or suspend an account of an individual or business affiliated with the blockades without a court order.

The government is also directing financial service providers to temporarily stop providing services to either personal or corporate accounts that they suspect are being used to further the 鈥渋llegal blockades.鈥

鈥淚 do particularly want people who are participating in illegal blockades and illegal occupation to know these measures are real. They are being used. They will have an impact,鈥 Freeland said.

Freeland delivered the update alongside Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair on Thursday.

As part of the suite of financial measures, crowdfunding platforms must also now comply with Canada鈥檚 financial reporting rules under the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC).

This means that in order for a company such as GiveSendGo, which is the current hosting platform for the convoy鈥檚 fundraising campaign, to operate in Canada, they are obliged to flag suspicious and large transactions, .

The Freedom Convoy has raised more than US$9.5 million on the website.

Freeland said she鈥檚 meeting frequently with the heads of Canada鈥檚 major banks, with the director of FINTRAC, and with the commissioner of the RCMP to discuss next steps.

鈥淚t gives me no pleasure to impose any of these measures. In fact we do so with great sorrow but do not doubt our determination to act, to defend our democracy, to defend our economy, and to restore peace,鈥 she said.

鈥淭he consequences are real and they will bite.鈥

Asked what safeguards are in place to ensure the right people are being targeted, Freeland said those involved are seized with this concern.

鈥淭hat is something that we, law enforcement, and the financial service providers have been working on very, very carefully. And that鈥檚 why I say the use of financial tools is actually going to increase in the coming days because it was important for us to be sure that safeguards were in place,鈥 she said.

In terms of information-sharing between law enforcement and banks, the deputy prime minister said the names of both individuals and entities, as well as crypto wallets, have been shared by the RCMP with financial institutions.

Parliamentarians鈥 debate of the Emergencies Act kicked off Thursday morning, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau noting it was a needed step, and that existing laws wouldn鈥檛 have been able to rectify the issue.

The Conservative Party has said the move is a 鈥減ower grab鈥 by the Liberals, specifically taking issue with the financial measures introduced.

Interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen said on Thursday that the government鈥檚 declaration isn鈥檛 consistent with fundamental freedoms.

鈥淭he government should not have the power to close the bank accounts of Canadians on a whim. The prime minister is doing this to save his own political skin, but this is not a game. It comes at a cost to Canadians' rights and freedoms,鈥 she said.

Justice Minister David Lametti responded that all measures applied would be compliant with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

鈥淎ny and all of our government action will be subject to the charter, and it is my job as attorney general to ensure this. I take that responsibility incredibly seriously. There is, therefore, a further check in the parliamentary oversight process as well,鈥 he said.

Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner wrote a letter to the privacy commissioner on Thursday citing concerns about the potential risks the Act might pose to personal privacy.

鈥淚 continue to call for an immediate peaceful resolution to this ongoing situation in our country. Bust Justin Trudeau cannot take unprecedented powers without scrutiny. Canadians have the right to privacy, and I am concerned about what potential risks such a move poses. I am also concerned about the precedent this sets for the future,鈥 the letter reads.

She calls on the government to 鈥渋mmediately鈥 disclose whether it has consulted with the commissioner about the Act and take any concerns that the commissioner raises 鈥渟eriously.鈥

IN DEPTH

Opinion

opinion

opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.

A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.

Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Mont茅r茅gie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.

A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

Stay Connected