Thank you for the question.
That's not quite correct. We do not give any instructions to the financial institutions. We are not at all involved in the freezing of accounts or anything of that nature.
In a case like the one you are describing, normally, under the law, financial institutions can submit suspicious transaction reports to us if they suspect that the transactions in question are tied to money laundering or the financing of terrorist activities. Otherwise, we do not receive reports.
In this case, under the Emergencies Act, financial institutions were able to freeze accounts after receiving information from the RCMP to that effect. This was done without us having been made aware of the freezing of the accounts or informed of the accounts involved. We are not at all involved in this aspect of the emergency economic measures.