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The latest is insane.
Using powers granted under the Emergencies Act, the federal government has directed banks and other financial institutions to stop doing business with people associated with the anti-vaccine mandate convoy occupying the nation's capital.
According to the regulations published late Tuesday, financial institutions are required to monitor and halt all transactions that funnel money to demonstrators — a measure designed to cut off funding to a well-financed protest that has taken over large swaths of Ottawa's downtown core.
"Financial institutions" aren't just banks.
The government is also ordering insurance companies to suspend policies on vehicles that are part of an unlawful "public assembly."
These financial institutions can't handle cash, issue a loan, extend a mortgage or more generally facilitate "any transaction" of a "designated person" while the Emergencies Act is in place.
The regulations define a "designated person" who can be cut off from financial services as someone who is "directly or indirectly" participating in a "public assembly that may reasonably be expected to lead to a breach of the peace," or a person engaging in "serious interference with trade" or "critical infrastructure."
So basically, the Canadian government chickened out and mandated instead that the banks and insurance companies to do everything. Then rat out their customers to the government once they're done.
Banks also are required to "disclose without delay" the "existence of property in their possession or control" or "any information about a transaction or proposed transaction" related to a "designated person" to both the RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).
"Those authorities are now in force and they're being used," said Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino. "It's incredibly important that we follow the money."
It's not "incredibly important" for anyone interested in rule of law, due process, or proportionality of punishment. And the final part:
The Emergencies Act and its associated regulations are in effect for only 30 days; that period could be shorter if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet revoke it or if Parliament scuttles it after a vote. But a senior government official said there could be long-term implications.
"For the most part, financial institutions can decide who they do business with and they may decide to cease offering financial services," the official said.
Mark Blumberg is a lawyer at Blumberg Segal LLP who specializes in non-profit and charity law. In an interview, he said that while the Emergencies Act gives banks time-limited powers, these institutions "may just decide to shut the person's account down" because there could be "huge risks" for banks servicing these customers in the future.
So rather than deal with the protest in a sensible manner (they're breaking the law, right?), the Canadian government has put forward this ridiculous "emergency" and deputized a bunch of businesses to go crazy with legal immunity (but only if they toe the government line). In the meantime, the protesters can lose their insurance and freeze finances. So what's going to happen to protesters of any sort in the future, if banks and insurance companies see them as liabilities due to this emergency?
Now imagine if Trump and US financial institutions had this kind of power over BLM protesters. Wouldn't be a problem, right?
Hopefully, this will get reversed in the Canadian courts, because otherwise it's a huge move towards tyranny, particularly of the fascist sort.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Gaaark on Friday February 18 2022, @04:17AM
I half agree but in an odd way i guess:
Trudeau fecked up big time and doesn't have the cojones (??) to do things correctly and is trying to correct his hindsight 20/20.... or something.
They saw the convoys coming and did nothing, even though they could have just blocked off access to the Parliament buildings, say, a km or 2 away. Force the protesters to walk to the protest if they want to.
They fecked up letting the protesters set up hot tubs and conveniences: should have made it not so nice for them. Finally, they did this.
They also should have stopped the constant honking right away, and i don't mean the cops, i mean the protesters: the truckers fecked up big time by pissing everyone off. There was violence against their 'neighbours', the constant honking kept people awake and pissed them off......
....protesters should really try to get the people behind them, not against them.
And Trudeau fecked up big time in this way: If natives peacefully protest ON THEIR OWN LAND protesting pipelines going through illegally, the RCMP are called in and they are hauled off as fast as possible.
These protesters are pissing everyone off and Trudeau did nothing for a long time and is now trying to 'recover'.
Why no one 'up there' considered blocking the protesters from reaching their destination is beyond me.
Peaceful protests are fine, but the truckers don't get it. They have pissed off anyone in the area that might have supported them if they had peacefully protested: instead, they (and by them i mean enough idiots to make a significant difference: they're not all idiots) honked day and night and took to violence with their 'neighbours'. Just not smart. Smart protesters don't piss off those who could support them.
Aside, if they HAD peacefully protested and 'occupied', they might have gotten free food, gas and support from their 'neighbours'. Instead, the whacko fringe of the group took over and now it's all turned stupid.
Stupidity on the part of the protesters for letting the whackos take over and stupidity on the part of those who call themselves our leaders.
All this nonsense is, i think, Trudeau's way of saying "If you plan on being protest assholes, think again in the future because we'll penalize you til the dick is deep down your throat".
In the future, i'd like to see the truckers police themselves and eliminate the idiots right from the start.
Peaceful protest.