‘Seems Unlikely’ to Support Extremism: Federal Financial Intelligence Unit on Freedom Convoy Donations

A protester shovels snow in front of parked semi-trailer and pickup trucks on Rideau Street, on the 21st day of a protest against COVID-19 mandates and restrictions in Ottawa, on Feb. 17, 2022. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

A financial intelligence unit in Canada said in an internal memo that it saw no proof that the millions of dollars raised by the Freedom Convoy last winter were intended to support extremism.

The memo, written by managers at the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre (FINTRAC), and obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter, said it “seems unlikely” that the funds were aimed to bankroll “violent activity.”

“All ideologically motivated violent extremist attacks in Canada have been low cost and low in sophistication,” the memo said.

“The potential for funds being used for violent activity seems unlikely at this time considering ideologically motivated violent extremist crowdfunding is usually not used towards conducting violent activity.”

The memo was dated Jan. 26—two days before the convoy arrived at downtown Ottawa, and nearly three weeks before the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14 that froze the bank accounts of convoy sympathizers under the Proceeds of Crime and Terrorist Financing Act.

“The funds could potentially be diverted towards legal costs should the need arise or simply used as stated by the organizer, i.e. for fuel, food and accommodations,” FINTRAC said.

Donors Mostly Canadians

In total, the Freedom Convoy raised $24.5 million through crowdfunding sites GoFundMe and GiveSendGo early this year. A report released by the Public Order Emergency Commission on Nov. 3 indicated that most of the fundraised money came from within Canada and that most of it never made it to protesters.

Eighty-six percent of the donors to the GoFundMe campaign, which gathered over $10 million before it was shut down, were Canadians, according to the report. The percentage rose to 89 percent when considering the value of the donations.

After the Freedom Convoy switched over to the GiveSendGo platform, 59 percent of the donors came from the United States, while 35 percent originated in Canada, the report added.

At a Feb. 14 press conference, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland claimed that crowdfunding platforms “are being used to support illegal blockades and illegal activity which is damaging the Canadian economy.”

‘Unhappy and Fed Up With COVID-19’

Testifying before the Commons finance committee on Feb. 24, Barry MacKillop, deputy director at FINTRAC, said the donations that happened before the protests were declared illegal by the federal government.

“People all over the world are unhappy and fed up with COVID-19,” MacKillop said, and “just wanted to support the cause by giving small amounts of money.”

On Feb. 17, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino told the House of Commons that the convoy protests were not about mandates or freedom.

“It’s about a very small, organized, and targeted group of individuals who are trying to strip away the very freedoms that we here have sworn to uphold,” he said, adding that one of the reasons to invoke the Emergencies Act is to deal with an “ideologically motivated operation.”

A security update on Feb. 14 by the public safety department’s Government Operations Centre (GOC) characterized the Freedom Convoy protest as small, peaceful, and having little impact on federal operations.

“Overall assessment: The majority of the events have been peaceful,” wrote GOC staff, prior to the invocation of the Emergencies Act.

Noé Chartier contributed to this report.