Banks begin to freeze accounts as Trudeau continues crackdown on freedom protesters

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the federal-level police authority in Canada, has provided a list of people suspected of participating or aiding in the Freedom Convoy protests to all major banks, so that they can act to freeze their accounts.

This is part of the new and stringent emergency measures enacted on Monday by the Trudeau administration in an effort to quell the protests now happening in several Canadian cities.

According to the Financial Post, "The emergency orders require virtually every participant in the Canadian financial system — banks, investment firms, credit unions, loan companies, securities dealers, fundraising platforms and payment and clearing services."

This is to be done in order "to determine whether they possess or control property of a person who’s attending an illegal protest or providing supplies to demonstrators."

Banks are then required to freeze accounts, and report the relevant details of such to the RCMP immediately, or to Canada's intelligence agency. As well, any suspicious transactions are to be immediately reported to FINTRAC, the Canadian anti-money laundering agency.

Bank officials say that they are still "seeking clarity from law enforcement" due to some vague wordings in the regulations which could cause potential conflict. However, some accounts have already been frozen, according to the Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland.

Organization such as the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have publicly condemned Trudeaus actions, however, saying that the use of this sort of emergency powers is "unprecedented" in Canadian history.