Canadian court deems freezing crypto assets of protesting truckers in 2022 unconstitutional

The Federal Court of Canada has declared that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s utilization of emergency legislation to quash the “freedom convoy” demonstrations in 2022 was deemed “unreasonable.”
On January 23, a federal court in Canada ruled that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s choice to employ the Emergencies Act of Canada to freeze cryptocurrency utilized to back the truck convoy protesters in 2022 was an unwarranted violation of civil liberties.
The Federal Court of Canada specifically found the freezing of bank accounts and cryptocurrency for individuals connected to the protest to be unjustified. Nevertheless, it dismissed allegations that the government had breached several other rights.
Federal Court Justice Richard Mosley pointed out that the government cannot simply invoke the Emergencies Act “because it is convenient, or because it may work better than other tools at their disposal or available to the provinces,” emphasizing that this measure should only be considered as a “tool of last resort.”
In 2022, protests erupted in Canada in response to stringent COVID-19 rules, as reported by crypto.news. The government, utilizing the National Emergency Act, sought to address what it considered “rogue” protesters, granting it the power to circumvent crucial financial procedures.
This encompassed the capacity to access and freeze bank accounts without the need for a court order. Consequently, some Canadians turned to cryptocurrencies. Nonetheless, the Ontario Provincial Police and Royal Canadian Mounted Police subsequently instructed all regulated financial institutions to cease any transactions from 34 crypto wallets associated with funding protests led by truckers in the nation, which contained numerous Bitcoin (BTC) and alternative cryptocurrencies.
The implications of the ruling on those impacted by the Emergencies Act, as well as their ability to take legal action against the government for damages, remain uncertain, as the government has expressed its intention to appeal the decision.
For more information, KPMG Canada teams up with Chainalysis to combat crypto-related frauds and abuses. Follow Us on Google News.