Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

MPs told of confusion from crackdown on convoy

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 17 Mar, 2022 03:27 PM
  • MPs told of confusion from crackdown on convoy

OTTAWA - The voice of Canadian credit unions says their members watched people make significant withdrawals after the federal government vowed a financial crackdown on the so-called "freedom convoy."

The government's use of the emergency powers in February included allowing financial institutions to freeze the accounts of those involved in the protests that occupied streets in downtown Ottawa and blocked key border crossings.

But a House of Commons committee was told Thursday that the government was less than clear about the intended targets shortly after the financial measures were announced.

The government also granted a level of latitude to institutions that contributed to the confusion, MPs have been told.

Martha Durdin, president and CEO of the Canadian Credit Union Association, said the combined effect was a degree of panic among Canadians that their accounts could be frozen because they made small donations to the convoy.

She said that led to Canadians withdrawing large amounts from their credit union accounts, sometimes in the hundreds of thousands and, on a few occasions, millions of dollars.

Credit unions ultimately froze 10 accounts with a total value of less than half a million dollars, Durdin said, adding that many credit unions would have appreciated further guidance about precisely which accounts would be frozen.

Durdin, among others testifying today to the committee, said the situation points to a need for federal officials to communicate more clearly about emergency powers, and consult a wider array of financial institutions beyond the country's biggest banks.

"Credit unions had to really answer a lot of questions from members about under what circumstances the government can freeze accounts because many Canadians felt surprised that the government had that authority," Durdin said.

The testimony came as part of hearings the Commons finance committee is holding about the government use of never-before-used emergency powers to put an end to the protests.

Among the measures were ones requiring crowdfunding platforms to disclose information to federal law enforcement officials, as millions in donations flooded sites like GoFundMe and GiveSendGo.

Although the reporting measures for fundraising platforms were short-lived, the Liberals have said they want to make the change permanent.

Juan Benitez, the president of fundraising website GoFundMe, said his company's analysis of the more than $10 million donated through the platform found that 88 per cent of donations and 86 per cent of donors were from Canada.

The largest donation to the campaign was $30,000 and it came from Canada, said Kim Wilford, the platform's general counsel.

The platform ultimately decided to freeze funds and issue reimbursements after speaking with Ottawa's mayor and police about reports of violence, harassment and threatening behaviour.

Liberal MP Sophie Chatel raised the possibility of "Russian dark money" flowing to the convoy without citing direct evidence. Later in the hearing, Benitez said there were only a handful of donations from Russia to the convoy fundraiser and no evidence of a co-ordinated effort.

As streets in downtown Ottawa, including in front of Parliament Hill, were clogged with cars and trucks protesting public health restrictions and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government, sympathy protests sprang up around the country, including at key border crossings.

The weeklong blockade at the busy Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit, Mich., cost the North American automotive industry roughly $1 billion in unrecoverable production, said Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association.

He said a similar amount was lost in pay for some 100,000 Canadian autoworkers.

During his opening remarks, Volpe said the blockade also cost Canada goodwill with our trading partners, and laid some blame on politicians who "shamelessly egged on" their social media followers.

"We need to have a better overall mitigation plan amongst all levels of government in place to avoid future freedom barbecues from blockading critical public infrastructure," he said.

MORE National ARTICLES

Vancouver must restore $5.7M to police budget

Vancouver must restore $5.7M to police budget
Vancouver police Chief Adam Palmer says a provincial report from the director of police services has ordered the city to restore $5.7 million to the department’s 2021 budget.

Vancouver must restore $5.7M to police budget

Transit Police investigate after bus operator bear sprayed in Vancouver

Transit Police investigate after bus operator bear sprayed in Vancouver
The driver was immediately overcome by the effects of the spray as his ability to breathe became impaired. He was treated on scene by the Vancouver Fire Department and while he did not suffer any serious physical injuries, the incident continues to have an impact on his mental well being.    

Transit Police investigate after bus operator bear sprayed in Vancouver

Courts will have to consider COVID delays: experts

Courts will have to consider COVID delays: experts
The pandemic halted in-person court proceedings for months in many provinces over the last two years and put jury trials on hold for long periods of time, exacerbating existing backlogs. Measures such as virtual hearings were implemented to minimize the impact of the pandemic, though not all cases could proceed remotely.    

Courts will have to consider COVID delays: experts

689 COVID19 cases over 3 days

689 COVID19 cases over 3 days
There are 359 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and 51 are in intensive care. In the past 72 hours, 14 new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,946.

689 COVID19 cases over 3 days

New EV registrations hit Canadian record in 2021

New EV registrations hit Canadian record in 2021
Statistics Canada says 65,253 new battery-only and plug-in hybrid electric cars were registered in the first nine months of 2021, more than the number registered across 12 months in any previous year.    

New EV registrations hit Canadian record in 2021

B.C. aims to curb catalytic converter thefts

B.C. aims to curb catalytic converter thefts
The Insurance Corporation of B.C. says converter theft claims have climbed from 89 in 2017 to 1,953 last year, totalling more than $4 million in claim costs for 2021.

B.C. aims to curb catalytic converter thefts