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(LifeSiteNews) — A new report shows that a large Canadian credit union reported to the police one of its customers who “liked” the Freedom Convoy Facebook page and proceeded to monitor his financial transactions.

According to Blacklock’s Reporter, recently released records show that on February 15 of this year, Assiniboine Credit Union in Winnipeg, Manitoba, reported one of its users to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) because he had “liked” the Freedom Convoy Facebook page, telling the federal police he is “potentially involved” in the protest.

The report to the RCMP came the day after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau enacted the Emergencies Act (EA) to shut down the protest, wherein the government gave banks and financial institutions the power to freeze suspected Freedom Convoy donors’ accounts without a court order.

Assiniboine went as far as having its staff members monitor the man’s social media posts, as well as comb through his checking account transactions. 

Management at Assiniboine noted that before the EA was enacted, “account activity was being monitored but not deemed illegal.”  

Police noted in a memo that same day that the credit union member in question was a “well known anti-vax” person, suggesting the tip from the credit union was followed up on.

In another instance of financial institutions using the EA as a reason to go after their customers, the same report shows that an unnamed Canadian bank had also reported to police one of its credit card users who had allegedly purchased a gas mask from an army surplus store.  

This information was shown in a February 17 email, with police noting “It won’t come as a surprise but a bank has frozen assets of an individual and they also disclosed that a purchase was recently made at an Ottawa Army Surplus store.” 

“Most likely a gas mask,” added the RCMP. 

These recent revelations are not the first instances of Canadian financial institutions reporting their customers to the police due to their political views.

As noted last month by LifeSiteNews, records show Desjardins Group also reported to the RCMP some of its customers who were making financial transactions supporting the Freedom Convoy.  

The bank had reported a couple that made a $20,000 deposit, which the bank claimed was being used to pay for pro-Freedom Convoy signs.   

Trudeau’s use of the EA led to almost $8 million in funds from 267 different people being frozen, in addition to 170 bitcoin wallets. 

The full impact of Trudeau’s cabinet’s use of the EA to expand the scope of the Proceeds Of Crime And Terrorist Financing Act to allow for such freezing has yet to be determined by a parliamentary committee. 

Last month during a round-table discussion at the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC), panel member Dr. Gerard Kennedy, who along with other POEC members was tasked with advising government officials on future policy in light of the Freedom Convoy, seemed to agree with the controversial freezing measures taken by the Trudeau government, saying it was “efficacious” and “even justified” for banks to freeze the assets of demonstrators for protesting government COVID measures.  

During testimony before the POEC last month, it was also revealed that one Canadian bank executive suggested Freedom Convoy protesters could be labeled as “terrorists” to allow for a quick freezing of their funds. 

Finance Minister Chyrstia Freeland’s testimony before the commission showed that she even agreed with one Canadian bank CEO’s call for possible military intervention in the Freedom Convoy. 

With the POEC’s public policy phase coming to a close two weeks ago, they are now tasked with releasing a report to Canada’s parliament and Senate with their findings and recommendations by February 20, 2023. 

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