Evidence of meeting #20 for Declaration of Emergency in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was funds.
A video is available from Parliament.
Co-Founder, GiveSendGo
Thank you for the question.
We're constantly updating our platform and our processes to include new laws and regulations. We're working with our payment providers to do those very things in Canada and around the world.
Co-Founder, GiveSendGo
It's in the process. There's a process to incorporating those things.
Senator, Ontario, PSG
We're almost a year into that.
When will this process end, where you can assure us that you are now compliant?
Co-Founder, GiveSendGo
I believe we are compliant. We're in review right now with our payment providers on the status of those things. I believe we've done what we need to do at this time.
The Joint Chair Hon. Gwen Boniface
Okay.
We'll move to the second round of four minutes, starting with Mr. Brock.
Liberal
Rachel Bendayan Liberal Outremont, QC
Thank you for being here, Mr. Wells.
You indicated in your opening statement that your mission is to share the hope of Jesus with your platform. You answered a number of questions about this already. I'm just wondering, specifically with respect to this fundraising campaign, what is the connection between the hope of Jesus and the aims of this particular movement?
Co-Founder, GiveSendGo
Thank you for your question.
Again, as I stated earlier, the intention of a campaign might not necessarily align itself to our mission, which is to share the hope that we have with people. When we get a campaign and call them to tell them about Jesus or to pray with them, that's what we do. That's how we do it.
Liberal
Rachel Bendayan Liberal Outremont, QC
You mentioned earlier that you believe in freedom. Do you believe in the freedom of movement of people—that I should be able to move freely?
Liberal
Rachel Bendayan Liberal Outremont, QC
You're aware, of course, that it was part of international headlines that this movement, this blockade, was actually blocking an international border between our two countries, the United States and Canada.
Co-Founder, GiveSendGo
I actually believe that it was the Canadian government that enacted some laws restricting the movement of unvaccinated people; I thought that was what you were referring to.
The “freedom convoy” that set up a campaign on GiveSendGo actually disavowed the blockades that were happening at the border. That was specific to what was going on in Ottawa, so our campaign, to our knowledge, had nothing to do with the blockades that were happening at the border.
Liberal
Rachel Bendayan Liberal Outremont, QC
Well, even if that is your contention, ambulances in Ottawa were unable to bring patients to the emergency rooms due to the roads being blocked, and I understand that the truckers who were blocking those roads were really funded by your campaign. Were you not aware that the freedom of movement of people in Ottawa was not respected here and that is also a freedom?
I guess I would also ask, sir, if you honour and respect veterans, because, as you may or may not know, on January 29, quite early on in the blockade, members of the protest desecrated our War Memorial. Are you aware of that?
December 1st, 2022 / 9:20 p.m.
Co-Founder, GiveSendGo
I was not aware of that. I have not been aware of that.
I think I've stated this several times, but it's worth repeating—or maybe I actually haven't—but this group of people that came to Ottawa was a very diverse group and, from our opinion and look at it, it was not being controlled by anybody. It was largely independent operators who were coming of their own volition—
Liberal
Rachel Bendayan Liberal Outremont, QC
Mr. Wells, you're coming to the committee stating that you did not know what this protest or this blockade was about. The New York Times published extensively at the time about what was going on. If you watch Fox, Fox Business covered what was going on at the time, and CNN did as well.
Are you telling us that you had no idea that this was going on in Canada and that your platform was supporting it?
Co-Founder, GiveSendGo
No, that's not what I'm saying at all. What I'm saying is that—
Co-Founder, GiveSendGo
—the idea that because some people show up and do something bad at an event, that makes the whole event bad is a logical fallacy, and that's the fallacy that you're trying to present. It's not the case that if at a rock concert some people get in a fight somehow the rock concert is illegal.
The people who organized the campaign on GiveSendGo made explicit statements that they were against violence, that their fundraising effort was for specific needs—
