麻豆影视

Politics

    • GoFundMe head testifies over Freedom Convoy fundraising, says most donors were Canadian

    Share

    The president of GoFundMe told members of Parliament on Thursday that according to the crowdfunding platform's records, the vast majority of the donors to the Freedom Convoy were Canadian.

    Speaking before the House of Commons public safety and national security committee, Juan Benitez said 88 per cent of donated funds to the movement originated in Canada and 86 per cent of donors were from Canada.

    Given the Freedom Convoy raised more than $10 million on the site before the campaign was suspended for violating the company鈥檚 terms of service, approximately $1.2 million came from outside Canada.

    Benitez said GoFundMe did not identify any donors affiliated with terrorist groups or organized crime activities.

    鈥淲e do extensive analysis on the activities that are happening on our platform. In fact, it鈥檚 our goal to be the most trusted platform in social fundraising,鈥 he said.

    鈥淚f we were aware that something like that was occurring, those folks are not welcome to participate on our platform, those activities would have been prohibited and we would have filtered that out.鈥

    However, Benitez noted the company began closely monitoring the convoy鈥檚 campaign after it launched on Jan. 14 because of 鈥渟ignificant鈥 fundraising activity.

    While its initial analysis concluded that the fundraiser was operating within GoFundMe鈥檚 terms of service, Benitez said the 鈥渟hift in tone鈥 in the public statements from the organizers became notable.

    鈥淔rom Feb. 2 through Feb. 4 we heard from local authorities that what had begun as a peaceful movement had shifted into something else. They shared reports of violence and threatening behaviour by individuals associated with the movement,鈥 he said.

    It was at this point that GoFundMe announced it would reimburse funds raised to donors.

    Convoy organizers turned to Christian website GiveSendGo to host their second fundraising campaign. They鈥檝e so far raised more than US$9.5 million on the platform.

    GiveSendGo also appeared virtually before the committee Thursday afternoon.

    The American co-founders fielded questions about why they continued to allow the convoy organizers to raise funds on their site given the illegal actions by protesters.

    The Freedom Convoy movement began as a protest against all vaccine mandates and other public health restrictions, and quickly dissolved into a pursuit of more nefarious objectives, including overthrowing the federal government.

    Protesters blockaded downtown Ottawa for three weeks, shuttering businesses and disrupting residents. Their actions also inspired blockades at various border entries, interrupting the flow of goods and people.

    Co-founder Heather Wilson argued that the federal government should have contacted GiveSendGo directly to flag concerns about the source of funding.

    鈥淚f you were concerned about GiveSendGo and what we were allowing, I do not know why [no one] reached out to us, to ask us to take a look at this. We were all on hearsay by what we were hearing from media on both sides,鈥 she said.

    Wilson said that if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had spoken directly with the truckers protesting, 鈥渁 lot of this would have been avoided.鈥

    The blockades prompted the invoking of the federal Emergencies Act, mostly to support police efforts in and around Parliament Hill to clear out the convoy encampment.

    The Act required crowdfunding platforms to comply with Canada鈥檚 financial reporting rules, and authorized banks to freeze accounts it suspected was involved with the 鈥渋llegal鈥 blockades.

    While the Emergencies Act has been revoked, MPs on the committee asked both GoFundMe and GiveSendGo whether they鈥檇 be prepared to comply with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada rules should the government move to make the temporary order permanent.

    GoFundMe鈥檚 General Counsel Kim Wilford said the company will co-operate and 鈥渨elcomes鈥 the opportunity to work with government to pinpoint and address concerns about the reporting process.

    鈥淲e will consistently and continuously not only meet our obligations under the laws that apply to us but always work to operate a little but above that,鈥 she said.

    GiveSendGo鈥檚 Jacob Wells said, 鈥渨e鈥檙e going to do everything that we鈥檙e required by law to do in order to keep our platform viable.鈥

    The funds raised on GiveSendGo remain in the U.S., unable to be distributed in Canada after the Ontario Superior Court of Justice granted a request by the Ontario government to freeze access to the millions of dollars donated.

    Wells said the company is considering refunding donors of the convoy, as GoFundMe did.

    鈥淚t鈥檚 on the table. Obviously this has been an ongoing situation that鈥檚 rapidly changing. The response of the government has rapidly changed. There鈥檚 a lot of moving parts, there鈥檚 a lot of variables,鈥 he said.

    鈥淲e鈥檒l be making decisions over the next several days about how we want to proceed.鈥

    Wells was adamant that the platform will remain a space for all organizers.

    鈥淚f we started mandating litmus tests for how good people ought to be in order to use public services, we would be in a very, very difficult situation鈥e believe completely to the core of our being that the danger of the suppression of speech is much more dangerous than the speech itself,鈥 he said, answering a question about whether the company would allow the Ku Klux Klan to set up a campaign.

    GiveSendGo has hosted the fundraising efforts of the Proud Boys, who are deemed a terrorist organization in Canada.

    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

    A 30-year-old northwestern Ontario woman has been charged with arson following a structure fire Thursday night, police say.

    The eight sons of Richard and Sarah Harvie from Gormanville, N.S., are believed to be the most siblings from one family, from either North America or the British Commonwealth, to serve in World War II.

    Canada

    • One person is dead after the driver of a pickup truck hit a bench where two people were waiting for the bus in Surrey Saturday afternoon, police have confirmed.

    • The federal government is providing $1.2 billion to help build a new hospital complex on the James Bay Coast, easing residents鈥 fears that construction wouldn鈥檛 start this year.

    • The eight sons of Richard and Sarah Harvie from Gormanville, N.S., are believed to be the most siblings from one family, from either North America or the British Commonwealth, to serve in World War II.

    • A massive fire broke out in downtown Langley Saturday morning, destroying a restaurant and forcing several other businesses to close.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • Travelling on a budget can be stressful, but there are ways you can ensure you're getting the best deal on flights as the holiday season approaches.

    • A five-seat sushi counter located inside another restaurant is the latest Vancouver eatery to receive a Michelin star.

    Sports

    Autos

    • A Pickering, Ont., student going to college to be a mechanic is shocked the engine in his two-year-old car will not be repaired under warranty after the dealership claimed he had been 'over-revving' the engine.

    Local Spotlight

    Chantal Kreviazuk is set to return to Winnipeg to mark a major milestone in her illustrious musical career.

    From the beaches of Cannes to the bustling streets of New York City, a new film by a trio of Manitoba directors has toured the international film festival circuit to much pomp and circumstance.

    A husband and wife have been on the road trip of a lifetime and have decided to stop in Saskatchewan for the winter.

    The grave of a previously unknown Canadian soldier has been identified as a man from Hayfield, Man. who fought in the First World War.

    A group of classic car enthusiasts donated hundreds of blankets to nursing homes in Nova Scotia.

    Moving into the second week of October, the eastern half of Canada can expect some brisker fall air to break down from the north

    What does New Westminster's t蓹m蓹sew虛tx史 Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.

    The last living member of the legendary Vancouver Asahi baseball team, Kaye Kaminishi, died on Saturday, Sept. 28, surrounded by family. He was 102 years old.

    New data from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley shows a surge in supply and drop in demand in the region's historically hot real estate market.

    • The calculus of predicting an election and identifying its key battlegrounds is complex enough in any race, but observers of the British Columbia poll this month are facing a pair of unknown quantities that make the math even more confounding.

    • One person is dead after the driver of a pickup truck hit a bench where two people were waiting for the bus in Surrey Saturday afternoon, police have confirmed.

    • A massive fire broke out in downtown Langley Saturday morning, destroying a restaurant and forcing several other businesses to close.

    • The Ontario Science Centre is set to launch two temporary satellite locations in other parts of Toronto, which could let visitors access some of its interactive exhibits while a full interim location remains at least a year away, 麻豆影视 has learned.

    • Leo Campana's stoppage-time goal gave Inter Miami a 1-0 win and left Toronto FC's playoff hopes hanging by a thread Saturday.

    • An investigation is underway after a collision that took place on Deerfoot Trail early Saturday evening.

    • An investigation is underway into a fire and explosion that took place Saturday night in northeast Calgary.

    • Nanton RCMP are on scene Sunday morning at a serious single-vehicle crash at the intersection of Highway 533 and Range Road 118.

    • Ontario Provincial Police say a man has died after striking obstacles on the St. Lawrence River while driving a personal watercraft.

    • The annual RBC Race for Kids raised $830,000 in support of a historic redevelopment for eastern Ontario's largest children's hospital.

    • Alexandre Look, a 33-year-old Montreal native, was among the concertgoers who were murdered a year ago Monday at the Supernova music festival during a brutal assault on Israel carried out by Hamas militants. He is among at least eight people, either Canadian citizens or with ties to Canada, who died during the Oct. 7 attacks.

    • Police released the identities of the mother and daughter who were killed after a fire tore through a 160-year-old building in Old Montreal on Friday.

    • Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent a pointed reply on Saturday to Quebec Premier Fran莽ois Legault's suggestion that half of the asylum seekers already settled in Quebec should be forcibly moved to other provinces.

    • The Saskatchewan Roughriders have clinched a playoff spot thanks to a win over the Edmonton Elks.

    • Highway 39 near Warburg was closed Saturday after a serious crash involving a motorcycle and a van.

    • An estimated four billion birds will navigate man-made environments as they travel south from North America during fall migration. Tens of million of them will die en route due to human-created hazards.

    • RCMP in Sussex, N.B., are asking the public for help locating a missing 61-year-old woman from Wards Creek, N.B.

    • New Brunswick singer-songwriter David Myles is set to go on tour this November after the release of his new album 鈥淒evil Talking."

    • A broken wastewater pipe has prompted Halifax Water to ask Quinpool area residents to reduce water usage while crews make repairs Sunday.

    • Some Manitobans are cleaning up Sunday morning, after intense winds barreled through southern parts of the province Saturday.

    • It鈥檚 1998. Google was just born, and dial-up was the primary way to connect to the Internet. New sites were being developed daily on any number of topics, from recipes to shopping. David Yanciw, however, was thinking big - big things, that is.

    • Communities outside of the perimeter aren鈥檛 immune to the housing and affordability struggles seen in Winnipeg.

    • The Saskatchewan Roughriders have clinched a playoff spot thanks to a win over the Edmonton Elks.

    • Saskatchewan's two major political parties made campaign stops in Moose Jaw Saturday with both promising to invest into the city if elected on Oct. 28.

    • A wind warning was issued for parts of southern Saskatchewan, with gusts of up to 100 kilometres per hour (km/h) possible in some areas on Saturday, Environment and Climate Change Canada says.

    • The Huron Ontario Provincial Police said they responded to a 鈥渄owned airplane鈥 just after 11 a.m. Saturday.

    • Police say they were called to the area of Simcoe Street and Market Street around 1:30 a.m. Saturday for a report of an assault.

    • The Oktoberfest Parade is fast approaching and organizers are urgently seeking volunteers to fill the role of sign carriers.

    • The Saskatchewan Roughriders have clinched a playoff spot thanks to a win over the Edmonton Elks.

    • The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation hosted a virtual election forum on education Thursday evening, giving candidates in the provincial election a chance to share their thoughts and answer questions on issues teachers find most important.

    • A permanent memorial at the site of the 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus crash is about to be a step closer.

    • NEW

      NEW

      The London Knights continue to get players back from NHL training camps but while the roster takes shape, wins have been tough to come by in the early season.

    • Standardised testing is a great way to see how local students measure up to provincial averages, and following the pandemic, educators had their work cut out for them getting kids back up to speed.

    • OPP are seeking assistance in their search for a 30-year-old man last seen in Orillia.

    • Provincial police are investigating a collision along Highway 400 in Tay Township Friday afternoon.

    • More than a thousand residents attended the Town of Innisfil's inaugural 'InnisFALL' festival on Saturday, which celebrated the spirit of fall with live music and entertainment at Innisfil Town Square.

    • Bubi鈥檚 Awesome Eats, located on University Ave West took to social media to announce the closure on Friday.

    • Currently, County Road 18 is closed between Briton Road, and Rizzo Nicola Drive while police investigate.

    • The calculus of predicting an election and identifying its key battlegrounds is complex enough in any race, but observers of the British Columbia poll this month are facing a pair of unknown quantities that make the math even more confounding.

    • Police on Vancouver Island have made an arrest in the case of a 78-year-old woman found dead in her home almost two years ago.

    • NDP Leader David Eby is promising to offer a $75-million loan forgiveness program to entice doctors, nurses and heath professionals to expand health-care services in rural British Columbia.

    • Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.

    • NDP Leader David Eby is promising to offer a $75-million loan forgiveness program to entice doctors, nurses and heath professionals to expand health-care services in rural British Columbia.

    • Three young suspects have been arrested in connection with a swarming attack on a teenager in B.C.'s Okanagan last week 鈥 and authorities have asked the public to stop circulating disturbing videos of the incident.

    • While the summer may be over, construction season in Lethbridge is not.

    • Lethbridge police executed dozens of warrants and laid numerous charges in another targeted enforcement project in the downtown area.

    • A person was airlifted to hospital following a serious crash in Taber, Alta., on Friday morning. Taber RCMP responded to the scene on Highway 864 around 10:30 a.m., for a crash involving an SUV and a semi-truck.

    • A drug raid on a home on the Far North Attawapiskat First Nation last week resulted in two local residents being charged and more than $50,000 in suspected narcotics, including methamphetamine, being seized.

    • The Ontario College of Family Physicians has presented awards to 750 doctors based on comments from patients, including eight physicians who are part of the Group Health Centre in Sault Ste. Marie.

    • Two teens, ages 14 and 19, have been charged with arson in connection with a July 14 fire in Cat Lake First Nation that destroyed $500,000 in construction materials.

    N.L.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 麻豆影视