Justin Trudeau Canadian Prime Minister called the Emergencies Act on Monday to strike back at truck drivers protesting pandemic mandates in Ottawa. It included more scrutiny into crypto donations and fundraising for protestors.
The actions followed a move by truckers who blocked bridges critical to international trade. They raised over $1 million in Bitcoin before the organizers shut down their fundraising page.
Under the Emergencies Act, the government is able to freeze and suspend bank accounts without a court order or liability, among several other things.
This is the first time a Canadian leader has invoked the act since the law was passed in 1988. The law also allows military intervention, but Trudeau said he has no plans to call in troops.
Additionally, the government will also tighten its policies regarding anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing.
Payment service providers and crowdfunding servers must now report transactions to the government by registering with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada.
