Canadian Authorities Send Freedom Truckers' Names to Banks, Freezing Accounts
In the western world, it has long been customary for governments to greet accusations of totalitarianism with immediate refutation and reflection. Being feverishly triggered by such allegations is a hallmark of democracy in many ways, as it allows our elected leaders to once again stand on the pulpit of liberty and emphatically deny any such inclination toward autocracy.
So, when a federal government goes the other direction, and attempts to retaliate against those who are making the allegations, it is alarming on a global scale. It’s revenge by a government threatened, and no government feels threatened if the charges against them are lies.
This is why the latest move by Canadian authorities is so disturbing.
Canadian banks will receive the names of people involved in “Freedom Convoy” protests that have descended on the nation’s capital, a first step in a promised financial crackdown on demonstrators being instituted by the far-left government of Justin Trudeau.
Bloomberg reports the Canadian Bankers Association confirmed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has alerted banks to a list of names and made it available.
The institutions are reportedly still seeking clarity from law enforcement on how to handle the alleged protesters’ accounts, according to people familiar with the matter. But Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said some accounts have already been frozen, the news outlet reported.
The ability to freeze bank accounts is a part of the emergency powers invoke by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in recent days, who recently characterized the Freedom Convoy as an “illegal occupation”.
