As a reminder, the topic of blocking bank accounts and cryptocurrencies in Canada was raised last week. It was brought up after the application of the so-called Emergency Situations Act. The purpose of the decision was an attempt to limit the flow of funds to protesters, with cryptocurrencies being mentioned at the time. Read more about the beginning of the story in a separate article.

Where cryptocurrencies are being blocked

The lawsuit against the protesters is officially opposed by Ottawa residents, whose interests are represented by lawyer Paul Champ. Here’s his quote, published by the news outlet Decrypt.

I can confirm that this is the first successful freezing lawsuit in Canada targeting Bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchanges.

It's important to note that no one can freeze crypto on users' personal wallets. The only case in point is centralised platforms like cryptocurrency exchanges and online wallets. Here, the authorities can actually influence the withdrawal and safety of coins. But if you buy crypto and take it out to a hardware wallet, nothing happens to it. Especially if you keep your PINs and recovery phrases in a safe place.

If the court case is won by the plaintiff, about $20 million in accounts and cryptocurrency wallets linked to the protesters should, in theory, redistribute among Ottawa residents. Recall that Freedom Convoy has initiated several donation campaigns, through which the protesters have managed to raise a very impressive amount in currency and crypto. However, the movement’s official page on the GoFundMe platform was removed under pressure from the government.

Freedom Convoy protests

The court action was issued by Justice Calum McLeod, who told the protesters that they were prohibited from “selling, removing, disposing of, transferring” any assets that had been collected as donations. Meanwhile, lawyer Keith Wilson, who is representing Freedom Convoy in court, said his side had “not received a formal order or relevant court document”.

Before GoFundMe was blocked, protesters managed to raise approximately $10 million through the platform. They have since become more active in accepting cryptocurrencies – as it is impossible to stop the flow of funds on Bitcoin’s decentralised network.


It is important to note that crypto really shows its potential and the power of decentralisation in this environment. And while the authorities clearly do not want to allow the protesters to be funded, it is impossible to ban it completely. They will definitely be hindered by owners of full-fledged non-custodial wallets that cannot be influenced, as well as those willing to share crypto offline.

The day before, such a case was recorded during a live stream of one of the truckers. He was instructed to receive $8,000 in Bitcoin, which was in an envelope. Here's this stream.

The turbulent environment in Canada has caught the attention of Etherium creator Vitalik Buterin, who spent his childhood and grew up in the country. During his recent interview at the ETHDenver conference, Buterin criticized the actions of the Canadian government. Here’s his quote, which Coindesk cites.

If the government is unwilling to follow the laws and give people a chance to protect themselves by trying to pressure banks to deprive people of their financial livelihoods without due process, this is an example of how decentralized technology complicates the whole process.

Etherium creator Vitalik Buterin

Here is another quote from Vitalik in which he fleshes out his point of view.

The concept of chasing and using bank intermediaries to circumvent laws is dangerous. Having decentralised alternatives to intermediaries is a good way to limit the damage from government action.

The court order to freeze funds applies to anyone caught involved in the protests. Their accounts at Canadian banks, including the major TD Canada Trust and ATB Financial, are blocked. The lawsuit also applies to at least 150 cryptocurrency wallets linked in one way or another to the Freedom Convoy movement. Some owners of these addresses have come under fire, although they deny any involvement with the protesters.

Among them is Vancouver businessman Jeffrey Booth, who shared his outrage in a recent interview.

I just have wallet keys, that’s all. I have not received or donated a dollar, nor am I an organiser. I merely hold private keys in a decentralised platform.

Freedom Convoy protests

Those subject to the court order must now provide a detailed explanation of the origin of the funds and the purpose of their transactions. If they fail to do so as soon as possible, they could face legal sanctions. This was announced by Kraken cryptocurrency exchange CEO Jesse Powell, with the notation that his company “will be forced to comply” with the court’s findings.


We believe the situation in Canada was a great reminder of the benefits of cryptocurrencies, which give their owners full ownership of their assets. Accordingly, they can do whatever they want with them - unlike money in a bank, where accounts are now actively blocked. It appears that the current effort by the authorities will indeed get ordinary citizens interested in full-fledged decentralised assets. And that sounds promising enough for the cryptocurrency and blockchain world.

What do you think about it? Share your opinion in our Millionaire Crypto Chat. There, we will talk about other topics related to the blockchain and decentralisation industry.