In a major exhibition of raw power of the federal police state, the Canadian government announced today they have instructed banks, insurance companies and financial institutions to seize the accounts of any individual, group or business who are associated with political protest.
Using the Emergency War Measures Act, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has just declared war against his own people. You cannot protest against government and still retain a bank account in Canada. I suspect a great number of Canadians will quickly move their assets into foreign banks including in the United States.
The announcement came after a meeting of the cabinet according to Trudeau and the financial measures were outlined in detail by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Corporate, business and individual bank accounts will be frozen and locked, this extends to crowdfunding sites and even cryptocurrencies. To support these measures the government has created federal protection from civil liability to all financial institutions, including insurance companies.
Banks will begin freezing and seizing the account assets of any person, group or organization they may arbitrarily suspect of being aligned with, active with, or supporting the freedom protest. The government has specifically crafted the financial mechanisms so financial institution can use their discretion on who should be targeted. There are no structured rules for the banks to follow.
Additionally, the insurance policies associated with any individual, trucker, group, business or corporation who is identified or suspected of participating in a protest against the Canadian government will be nullified at the discretion of the insurance carrier. Again, civil liability protection provided against recourse from the targeted entity.
Crowdfunding groups will now be required to register with the Canadian government and the regulatory agency the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), the national financial intelligence agency within the Canadian government. This way all funds raised by individuals or groups can be monitored, blocked and/or seized by the government if the beneficiary of the funding is defined as acting against the interests of the Trudeau administration, or protesting.
The seizures apply to any entity, including opposing political parties, who might dissent from the policy of the Trudeau government. In essence, the Prime Minister’s office can freeze the bank accounts of his political opposition and, using the power within the Emergency Act, Trudeau provides himself immunity from any liability for that action. Yes, this is all rather remarkable and never before fathomed in a “western democracy.”
“The illegal blockades have highlighted the fact that crowdfunding platforms, and some of the payment service providers they use, are not fully captured under the Proceeds of Crime and Terrorist Financing Act,” Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said. “We are making these changes because we know that these platforms are being used to support illegal blockades and illegal activity which is damaging the Canadian economy.”
Canadian financial institutions can now temporarily cease providing financial services if the institution suspects an account is being used to further the illegal blockades and occupations, said Freeland. “This order covers both personal and corporate accounts,” she said. WATCH (prompted):