How are protesters’ bank accounts “unfrozen?” Senator Batters asks during debate
Photo: Canadian Senate
Today, Canadian Senators begin their second day of debate on Justin Trudeau’s invocation of the Emergencies Act.
As noted last week in Road Warrior News, because a large number of Senators are not ostensibly not considered to be affiliated to a political party, there is a slim possibility that the Senate could vote to block use of the Act.
The February 22nd Senate debate was spirited, with Senators asking questions about the claim the measures will be geographically targeted, the difference between a “legal” and an “illegal” protest, and whether Ukrainians protesting a possible war with Russia will be allowed to gather on Parliament Hill.
The entire record of yesterday’s speeches, questions and answers is available to read in the Senate’s Hansard online.
Saskatchewan’s Senator Denise Batters asked a question which is on the mind of many Canadians, about the freezing of protestors’ bank accounts:
Photo: Senate of Canada
“Senator Gold, how will a bank know that someone has ‘stopped participating in the protest’ and then unfreeze their bank account?” Batters asked Marc Gold, the Government Representative in the Senate.
Gold replied, “My understanding is that there is two-way communication between the banking and financial institutions and the police authorities. The banks may have suspicions and may communicate with the police. The police, in turn, may have information that a particular person or company has a truck in the middle of Wellington Street and is refusing to leave. Therefore, there is a communication which the act legitimates and authorizes such that that goes back and forth. The same channels of communication extend to when someone leaves.
“Let’s say that on Sunday, a person decided to leave and did leave. That information would be communicated to the bank, or that person could communicate that information to the bank, which would be verified. It’s my understanding — though it’s early days, obviously, in the application of this — that is how the information would come to the attention of the bank.
“As I have answered in previous questions, there is work being done between the banks and the RCMP to regulate the process.”
