Bloomberg reports the Canadian Bankers Association confirmed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has alerted banks to a list of names and made it available.
The institutions are reportedly still seeking clarity from law enforcement on how to handle the alleged protesters’ accounts, according to people familiar with the matter. But Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said some accounts have already been frozen, the news outlet reported.
Under the Emergencies Act invoked by this week by Trudeau, law enforcement officials have the ability to arrest people for obstruction of roadways and disruptive behaviour within a no-go exclusion zone. They also have the power to seize vehicles and freeze the same bank accounts.
We'll see to what extent the banks cooperate with these requests, which may well be affected by the guidance that provincial governments give to the banks. It seems some of the provinces may attempt to override Trudeau's directive to freeze these accounts.
livestreamers this morning have been asking truckers if their bank accounts have been frozen and they say: No, bank accounts are just fine, although butts/hands/feet are pretty frozen in the snowstorm.