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REGINA, Saskatchewan (LifeSiteNews) – Canada’s largest government-run agricultural lender Farm Credit Canada ordered a blacklist of customers who supported the Freedom Convoy
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, internal documents show that Farm Credit Canada, a crown corporation based in Regina, told its employees to secretly make records of customers who supported the Freedom Convoy.
Emails reveal that staff kept a list of names even after the Emergencies Act (EA) was revoked on February 23, after protesters had been cleared out of Ottawa.
Sophie Perreault, chief operating officer, said in the revealed emails to staff, “If you become aware of a customer’s involvement report it immediately.”
According to Perreault, customers had no indication from the bank they were being surveilled.
The email went on to state that if the staff should “become aware of potential customer involvement in blockades, occupations and other support of activity related to the ‘Freedom Convoy,’” they must “submit a tip to the customer diligence centre.”
The email said that the customer’s “name stated involvement, date and any other pertinent details” should also be included in the report.
“Please do not complete any investigative work yourself or communicate any information about FCC’s approach to customers who voluntarily disclose their involvement,” the email said.
Staff questioned the surveillance request
According to the emails, some staff, including managers, questioned why they were asked to keep records of anyone involved with the Freedom Convoy.
“Why are we investigating this,” one manager wrote.
“I expected we would get a list from the RCMP.”
Earlier this month, Members of Parliament (MP) from the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) demanded a federal privacy overseer look into banks’ requests to freeze Freedom Convoy supporters’ accounts.
This came after testimony from Canadian bankers showed the financial targeting of some Freedom Convoy supporters might have breached privacy laws.
Canada’s draconian COVID measures were the catalyst for the Freedom Convoy, which took to the streets of Ottawa to demand an end to all COVID mandates for three weeks in February. As a result, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on February 14 enacted the EA to shut down the Freedom Convoy.
More than 230 people were arrested during the Freedom Convoy crackdown. Also, the Trudeau government took the unprecedented step of freezing the bank accounts of hundreds who donated to and sympathized with the truckers to the tune of almost $8 million.
Anyone found to be involved with the Freedom Convoy ‘will face’ the ‘freezing’ of assets
The Farm Credit Canada email stated that individuals and entities who have been “verified by the authorities as participating in illegal activity under the Act” will face “appropriate action.”
“(Action includes) not onboarding those found to violate the Act, freezing disbursements and assessing the need to terminate business relationships,” the email read.
In February, Blacklock’s Reporter first disclosed the FCC blacklist. However, the bank denied it at the time, saying they had not “compiled any list with respect to the Freedom Convoy.”
Last month, one of the main leaders of the Freedom Convoy said he received an apology from the head office of Scotiabank for freezing his bank account due to his involvement with the protests.