Desperate Canadians are now looking to flee the country following the implementation of emergency financial surveillance laws that are locking people out of their own bank accounts. Fear has rippled across the nation as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government imposes increasingly dictatorial laws to control the Canadian people and restrict freedoms.
Following the heavy-handed enforcement of pandemic-related laws that many feel infringe on basic human rights, citizens began a peaceful protest in the hopes of gaining some international recognition for their plight. Recently, protests have gotten heated and journalists attempting to report on the protests have been forced to stop filming, leading some to question what the Canadian government is trying to hide.
Today Ottawa police wouldn't let our reporter film in downtown Ottawa saying that she doesn't have press credentials and rejected her Independent Press Gallery card because “It’s a laminated piece of paper you could have made at home.”https://t.co/DEN7zzSz9G for more. pic.twitter.com/MMQGLv61hf
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) February 20, 2022
Those unable to join the protests decided to help out by donating money, only to find their donations were blocked by the government. Some were forced to resort to cryptocurrency in the hope of providing some financial refuge to those fighting for freedom on the frontlines. However, rather than address his citizen’s concerns and consider negotiations, an increasingly desperate Trudeau has enlisted the Emergency Powers Act, something intended only for genuine crisis situations. Such powers not only allow the government to bring in the army but also freeze the bank accounts of anybody it believes is not in full agreement with government decisions.
Now, it would seem, Canadian citizens without access to funds for food and basic supplies are seeking political asylum in foreign countries. A Tweet from a user with the Twitter handle @NobodyCaribou has asked: “Does El Salvador accept political refugees from Canada seeking to leave the Trudeau regime? Asking for a friend who donated $50 to truckers and now cannot buy food or gas because his accounts are frozen”
@nayibbukele does El Salvador accept political refugees from Canada seeking to leave the Trudeau regime?
Asking for a friend who donated $50 to truckers and now cannot buy food or gas because his accounts are frozen
Would convert all $CAD to bitcoin and bring his sats with him
— ₿ diplomat (@NobodyCaribou) February 22, 2022
The popular twitter news account @BitcoinMagazine also noted the insanity of the situation, tweeting: “El Salvador is banking the unbanked with #Bitcoin. Canada is unbanking the banked. Wild times.”
https://twitter.com/BitcoinMagazine/status/1495885306603741195
But the situation gets even wilder. Canada’s Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) is apparently so paranoid of the protest getting funding that it’s begun reporting tweets believed to support it. After both Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and Kraken CEO Jesse Powell referenced non-custodial wallet support on Twitter, the OSC reported the tweets in fear they were advising people on how to evade restrictions.
It all comes across as a country scrambling for a level of control that has long since fallen from its grasp, desperately enforcing obedience with whatever measures possible. History has proven that such authoritarian measures only fan the flames of angst, so while the financial restrictions might seem effective in the short term, will they manage to quell the frustrations of citizens?