The Canadian government has intensified its actions against the Freedom Convoy protest, warning that additional financial accounts and cryptocurrency wallets will be frozen. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland confirmed on Thursday that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has shared names and crypto wallet addresses with financial institutions, leading to multiple account freezes and "more accounts will be frozen".
Emergency Act Powers Invoked
Freeland stated that crowdfunding platforms and payment service providers have begun registration with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC). When asked whether individual donors to campaigns such as Givesendgo and GoFundMe would be considered "designated persons" under the Emergencies Act, she replied that financial service providers, working with law enforcement, would make operational decisions based on the regulations. Earlier, Ontario Superior Court Justice Calum MacLeod issued a sweeping order freezing all crypto assets and bank accounts of Freedom Convoy leaders, requiring banks, financial institutions, cryptocurrency exchanges, and wallet custodians to halt transactions related to the organizers' accounts.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared in 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 government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act on February 14 granted it broad authority to freeze accounts without a court order, though the court order further bolsters the crackdown.
Truckers Defy Arrests
Despite the arrest of two protest organizers — Tamara Lich and Chris Barber — hundreds of truckers remained entrenched in downtown Ottawa on Thursday, honking their horns in defiance. Organizer Pat King was quoted as saying: "I’m prepared to sit on my a** and watch them hit me with pepper spray." He added that no tow trucks in Canada would touch the vehicles parked bumper-to-bumper. Police have sealed off much of the downtown area to prevent outside support from reaching the protesters.
The Freedom Convoy began in late January as a protest against vaccine mandates for cross-border truck drivers. It quickly evolved into a broader movement against COVID-19 restrictions and government overreach, drawing supporters from across the country. The standoff continues, with both sides unwilling to back down, raising questions about the limits of government power and civil liberties.