RCMP says it did not provide names of convoy donors to financial institutions

The RCMP said Monday that it has not provided banks a list of donors who contributed to the “Freedom Convoy” fundraising efforts, rather the intelligence they provided to financial institutions included the identities of “influencers in the illegal protest” and owners and drivers of vehicles who did not leave the protest zone.

In a statement, the RCMP outlined how it followed the Emergency Economic Measures Order under the Emergencies Act, and said that the federal police force is now “working with the banks to build a process to address the accounts that were frozen.”

This comes amid unverified claims raised by some Conservative MPs on social media that they have heard from constituents who nominally contributed to the convoy’s efforts and have had their bank accounts frozen.

One of the key components of the Emergencies Act involved authorizing financial institutions to freeze or suspend bank accounts that belong to people suspected of sending money to protesters, without the need for a court order.

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Speaking to the concerns during a press conference, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland cautioned that “it's important for all of us to be very, very careful to get our facts exactly right,” and said law enforcement’s focus has been on the bigger players.

“I think it's also really important for everyone to be clear… that these measures applied only as of the 15th of February. That is when financial support of these illegal blockades and occupations began to be sanctioned,” Freeland said.

“And then finally, let me say for anyone who is concerned that their accounts may have been frozen because of their participation in these illegal blockades and occupation, the way to get your account unfrozen is to stop being part of the blockade and occupation.”

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Conservative MPs continued to raise concerns over the financial powers under the Act during question period.

“The blockades have ended but concerns over frozen accounts has not… What mechanisms are in place today to help those who were accidentally caught in the government dragnet?” asked Conservative MP Lianne Rood.

In response, Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair suggested any Canadian who has had their account frozen to call their bank to find out why.

In an interview on CTV News Channel’s Question Period, financial crimes risk management expert Matthew McGuire said that since the Act came into effect, financial institutions have been grappling with the absence of direction.

“They've been applying their own judgment to these situations, and they've been shielded from any civil liability about their actions. So, there's really nothing to lose in these situations, from their perspectives… Where are the safeguards here? Where are the protections that are built-in, if my account is frozen? How do I appeal that? That's not written anywhere,” McGuire said, adding that being told to call the authorities is not an effective solution.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called on Conservatives to bring forward any reported cases, saying that if the emergency powers have inappropriately been applied, “we would happily look at them and hope to resolve them.”