Canada’s banks lifting freeze on accounts, government getting sued

~ Richard Werner, Economics Professor

The Canadian government began lifting a freeze on more than 200 bank accounts linked to recent protests in the country, officials said on Tuesday, The Hill reported.

They’re not lifting all of them but the banks might.

As many as 210 accounts holding nearly $8 million collectively were frozen under authorization from the nation’s Emergencies Act, which was invoked in an effort to quell protests against COVID-19 restrictions, Canadian Assistant Deputy Minister of Finance Isabelle Jacques told a parliamentary committee, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported.

“Information was shared by the [Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)] with financial institutions and we were informed yesterday by financial institutions that they were unfreezing the accounts,” Jacques said, according to the outlet.

“The vast majority of accounts are in the process of being unfrozen, subject to any new information that the RCMP may have,” she continued.

People who gave $50 or $100, even before Trudeau’s ban, found their accounts frozen, along with families of truckers.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act last week in an effort to end the protests. On Monday, Canadian lawmakers extended the emergency powers, which allow officials to designate no-go zones and police to freeze bank accounts.

Sure, use Nazi tactics to discourage protesters. Don’t talk to them, or negotiate, just get more oppressive.

THE CCLA SUES THE GOVERNMENT

The director of the criminal justice program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) on Monday told Hill.TV that Trudeau overstepped his authority by invoking the Emergencies Act to bring an end to the protests.

The CCLA is suing over the move, attorney Abby Deshman said.

“They really refer to violent threats to overthrow the government,” Deshman said of the legislation. “We’re really concerned about the use of this type of national security legislation on what we essentially see as a domestic [and] very, very difficult protest situation.”

That’s very good news. Americans don’t want a fascist government on the northern border.

The finance minister Chrystia Freeland told the public of their plans to freeze accounts while smirking. She also said she was going to control cryptocurrency. It is outrageous. One must wonder if the banks rebelled. They are the one who started unfreezing the accounts.