American donors to trucker convoy may be outnumbering Canadians: CTV News analysis
American donors to trucker convoy may be outnumbering Canadians: CTV News analysis
A fundraising effort for the trucker convoy occupying Ottawa streets and making demands of the Canadian government has hit more than US$8 million, with an analysis by CTV News showing that donations appear to be pouring in from south of the border.
Donations to the Freedom Convoy 2022 page on the Christian website GiveSendGo from those who say they are in the U.S. may actually outnumber donations from Canadians, with Americans reached by CTV News saying they are donating because they are finding common cause with the Canadian truckers.
“I really believe in what they’re doing. I think the countries have all got to start working together. Freedom is important to all of us,” said Dory Hill, reached at her farm in Michigan.
Hill, who is unvaccinated and a Republican, said she isn’t very politically active but donated US$50 after hearing about the convoy on a podcast.
“I want them to let people of every country, whether prime minister, president, whoever, know that we’re serious about wanting freedom back,” she said in an interview.
CTV News sampled some 6,500 donations over a 12-hour period coming onto GiveSendGo, together worth about $622,000.
Of those, about 35 per cent were anonymous donations, or clearly pseudonyms, such as “Justin Trudeau.”
Of the remainder, CTV News counted those who declared their location or made it clear what country they were from — about 10 per cent. Among the names listed are “Buckhorn Texans for Freedom from Government,” and “The Republican Club of Lakeland, Florida.”
In that smaller sample, Canadian donations accounted for about 36 per cent of the money gained. Small amounts came from people who said they were in the U.K., Germany, Australia and Hong Kong, with donations coming from as far away as Latvia and Japan, the records show.
But dwarfing them all were donations from those who said they were in the United States — about 52 per cent of identifiable donations.
In that country, right-wing politicians and media figures have promoted the convoy, and also threatened an investigation into funding platform GoFundMe for refunding most of its donations.
“It’s an organic groundswell from the people. And I think the Canadian truckers are standing up not just for the freedom of Canadians, but for the freedom of Americans,” Senator Ted Cruz told media Wednesday.
But something that appears organic may actually be organized by right-wing networks, drawing on an American base of support for a political issue internal to Canada, said Alexander Ross, an adjunct professor at Portland State University.
“When you have this kind of intervention from one country to another, you start to see the transnational networks that compose the modern far right,” he said.
GiveSendGo did not respond to an email from CTV News asking for a full breakdown of sources of funds by country for the money that had been raised so far for the trucker convoy, or to questions about whether it planned to refund the money as well.
At a press conference Wednesday, Canadian Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said he was concerned about the rapid pace of transactions and the sheer size of donations.
“I’m relieved, as I think we all are, that GoFundMe put a stop to the distribution of funds to the convoy. Clearly they had looked carefully and with meticulous detail at who was contributing, and I think also examined the very important question about what those funds could be used to do,” he said.
Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said, “We’re all concerned about the lack of transparency and accountability and how these funds are being used.”
Charlie Hardage, the President of the Republican Club of Lakeland, Florida, told CTV News he authorized a $300 donation from his group because he believed in medical freedom.
“A lot of people are concerned about vaccine mandates or other mandates,” he said.
When asked if he would support a group of left-wing Canadians donating money to a left-wing cause in the United States, Hardage said, “I guess that’s probably going to be determined by where you stand. I assume the truckers are happy to have support from abroad. People opposed to their movement may see it as unwelcome guests.”
The top commander of Ukraine's military said Saturday that his forces are pushing back against Russian troops in the long and grinding battle for the town of Bakhmut, and British military intelligence says Russia appears to be moving to a defensive strategy in eastern Ukraine.
Staring down a possible indictment, a defiant Donald Trump is hoping to put on a show of force Saturday as he holds the first rally of his 2024 presidential campaign in a city made famous by deadly resistance against law enforcement.
U.S President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have announced updates on a number of cross-border issues, after a day of meetings on Parliament Hill.
The new asylum seeker agreement between Canada and the United States will not deter migrants from trying to cross into Canada outside official ports of entry, Quebec immigration advocacy groups say.
This past week, Parks Canada opened up its reservation system for the 2023 season, offering places to stay, hikes to take and national historic sites to visit across the country. According to three experts, here's where to travel this summer.
CTV W5 speaks with members of the comedy industry, including Russell Peters, for a wide-ranging look at how political correctness and 'cancel culture' has changed the world of stand-up comedy.
CTV W5 speaks with members of the comedy industry, including Russell Peters, for a wide-ranging look at how political correctness and 'cancel culture' has changed the world of stand-up comedy.
W5 investigates aging asbestos pipes across Canada and the potential health hazards if it ends up in your tap water. Watch W5's 'Something in the Water' Saturday at 7 p.m. on CTV.
An Ontario couple has filed a request with the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) to appoint a new police force to investigate the death of their 17-year-old son Benjamin, who died during a hockey team-bonding event in September 2019.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in CTV W5's 'What Happened to Ben,' on CTVNews.ca and W5's official YouTube channel.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in 'What Happened to Ben' on CTV W5.
The RCMP knew about a potential cocaine shipment from the Dominican Republic to Toronto aboard a Canadian charter flight but inexplicably allowed the crew that discovered and reported the drugs to be detained for months without intervening, a W5 investigation has revealed.
CTV W5 investigates what authorities knew about plans to smuggle cocaine out of the Dominican Republic on a Toronto-bound Pivot Airlines flight. The airline's crew is demanding justice following their eight-month detention.
The Ontario government will be ending a program that provides health-care services to uninsured people at the end of the month, something doctors say is extremely concerning for marginalized communities.
A woman in southern Ontario is making a plea to the public and kicking off a "long shot" search for her wedding dress after her father accidentally donated it earlier this year.
Ontario’s self-described crypto king was allegedly abducted, tortured, and beaten for days as his kidnappers looked to solicit millions in ransom, his father told a court in December.
Ontario has reached a funding agreement with optometrists that increases some payments to them, but reduces some coverage for patients, including less frequent general eye exams for seniors.
Canada's restaurant industry is bracing for the biggest jump in the country's alcohol excise duty in more than 40 years, spurring warnings the tax hike could force some bars and restaurants out of business.
Ontario has reached a funding agreement with optometrists that increases some payments to them, but reduces some coverage for patients, including less frequent general eye exams for seniors.
A special weather statement remains in effect across the region. Environment Canada said strong winds are expected Saturday afternoon into the evening.
A Windsor, Ont. man is facing charges after he allegedly stole several items from a department store and threatened to stab an employee on Friday night, Windsor police said.
A man has been arrested in connection to an alleged robbery in Chatham. Just after 3 p.m. Friday, Chatham-Kent police responded to a reported robbery at the TD Canada Trust bank on King Street.
The new asylum seeker agreement between Canada and the United States will not deter migrants from trying to cross into Canada outside official ports of entry, Quebec immigration advocacy groups say.
Police and firefighters have said it's too soon to say what caused the fire. But witnesses have raised questions about safety, including whether smoke detectors were working and whether there were proper emergency exits.
A theatre performance for children featuring a puppet that has been described as racist is continuing in the Montreal area. Several Black community organizations have criticized the puppet as being reminiscent of blackface minstrel shows — racist performances during which white people portrayed exaggerated stereotypes of Black people for laughs. But the show's creator — Franck Sylvestre, who is Black — has no plans to change the puppet, which he said is a caricature of his own features.
Two students are being recognized for their quick actions, and school administration and parents are thanking the community, after a difficult week at Charles P. Allen High School in Bedford, N.S.
There are mixed feelings in Manitoba about a proposed plan to expand liquor sales and put beer, wine and hard alcohol on the shelves of retailers like grocery stores.
A Manitoba First Nation is enacting measures to combat an ongoing drug and addiction crisis while also calling on the federal and provincial governments to do more to address drug-related deaths within northern remote Indigenous communities.
Calgary police have released photos of a man and vehicle believed to be involved in a case of road rage last month that left the victim with substantial injuries.
U.S President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have announced updates on a number of cross-border issues, after a day of meetings on Parliament Hill.
The new asylum seeker agreement between Canada and the United States will not deter migrants from trying to cross into Canada outside official ports of entry, Quebec immigration advocacy groups say.
Most British Columbians would support a system of "progressive punishment" that forces wealthier drivers to pay stiffer penalties when they're caught speeding, according to a new survey.
U.S President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have announced updates on a number of cross-border issues, after a day of meetings on Parliament Hill.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he accepts Han Dong's decision to leave the Liberal caucus after an allegation he spoke to a Chinese diplomat about delaying the release of two Canadians.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's teenage daughter and son, Ella-Grace and Xavier, 'no longer access TikTok,' the father of three told reporters during a joint press conference with U.S. President Joe Biden in Ottawa on March 24.
Hershey Co. is looking to reduce 'trace' amounts of lead and cadmium in its chocolate, chief financial officer Steve Voskiul told Reuters on Wednesday, after Consumer Reports found that some dark chocolate bars had potentially harmful levels of the heavy metals.
A growing number of Muslim doctors and psychologists are trying to bridge the gap between faith leaders and worshippers with eating disorders, who say they face marginalization when trying to access support within their own communities, as well as in the public health system.
For the first time, autism is being diagnosed more frequently in Black and Hispanic children than in white kids in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.
Gordon Moore, the Intel Corp. co-founder who set the breakneck pace of progress in the digital age with a simple 1965 prediction of how quickly engineers would boost the capacity of computer chips, has died. He was 94.
CTV W5 speaks with members of the comedy industry, including Russell Peters, for a wide-ranging look at how political correctness and 'cancel culture' has changed the world of stand-up comedy.
A former contestant on the long-running television game show 'Family Feud' has been charged with first-degree murder and home invasion in the slaying of his estranged wife in western Illinois.
Greece on Friday welcomed the return of ancient artifacts from the Acropolis, furthering a campaign to press the British Museum to hand back a collection of sculptures taken from the ancient site in Athens more than 200 years ago.
Recent moves by President Joe Biden to pressure TikTok over its Chinese ownership and approve oil drilling in an untapped area of Alaska are testing the loyalty of young voters, a group that's largely been in his corner.
Germany and the European Union announced Saturday that they have reached an agreement in their dispute over the future of cars with combustion engines, allowing the registration of new vehicles with such engines even after 2035 provided they use climate-neutral fuel only.
Utah's sweeping social media legislation passed this week is an ambitious attempt to shield children and teens from the ill effects of social media and empower parents to decide whether their kids should be using apps like TikTok or Instagram.
This past week, Parks Canada opened up its reservation system for the 2023 season, offering places to stay, hikes to take and national historic sites to visit across the country. According to three experts, here's where to travel this summer.
Japanese chef Tomoya Kawada has achieved a feat no other restaurateur has before; he's created the world's only three-Michelin-star Chinese restaurant in a non-Chinese-speaking city.
United States President Joe Biden is staying in Ottawa on his short trip north of the border, but the catering team from the National Arts Centre plans to take him on a cross-country culinary tour Friday evening.
Retired Formula One champion Nelson Piquet has been ordered to pay US$950,000 in 'moral damages' for making racist and homophobic comments about Lewis Hamilton.
The making of the hugely popular BBC car show 'Top Gear' has been halted following a crash during filming in December that left co-presenter Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff with serious injuries, the broadcaster said late on Thursday.
California lawmakers on Thursday will vote on whether to allow penalties on oil companies for price gouging at the pump, a first-in-the-country proposal aimed at stopping the kind of spikes last summer that caused some drivers pay up to US$8 per gallon as the industry reaped super-sized profits.
