The Canadian government has escalated its crackdown on the Freedom Convoy trucker protest by invoking the Emergencies Act to freeze bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets linked to participants. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland confirmed on Thursday that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has shared lists of individuals, entities, and crypto wallet addresses with financial institutions, resulting in account freezes. “More accounts will be frozen,” she warned, adding that crowdfunding platforms and payment service providers have begun registration with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC).
Court Orders Freeze on Crypto Assets
Ontario Superior Court Justice Calum MacLeod issued a sweeping order freezing all crypto assets and bank accounts of Freedom Convoy leaders. The order applies to banks, financial institutions, money service businesses, fundraising platforms, cryptocurrency exchanges, and any custodians of cryptocurrency wallets, prohibiting transactions related to the organizers' accounts. When asked whether donors to campaigns like GiveSendGo and GoFundMe would be targeted, Freeland stated that financial service providers would make operational decisions in coordination with law enforcement based on regulations.
Truckers Remain Defiant Amid Arrests
Despite the arrest of two protest organizers—Tamara Lich and Chris Barber—hundreds of truckers clogging downtown Ottawa stood their ground and blasted their horns in defiance. Organizer Pat King declared, “I’m prepared to sit on my a** and watch them hit me with pepper spray,” adding that no tow truck company in Canada would touch the parked vehicles. Police sealed off much of the downtown area to prevent outside support. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament: “It’s high time that these illegal and dangerous activities stop. They are a threat to our economy and our relationship with trading partners… They are a threat to public safety.”
The situation highlights the Canadian government's unprecedented use of emergency powers to target both traditional financial accounts and digital assets. The crypto community has debated the extent to which cryptocurrencies can be frozen under state authority, with this case serving as a real-world stress test for bitcoin’s censorship resistance. The Freedom Convoy, initially opposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates, has evolved into a broader protest against government overreach, drawing international attention.